Our Fine Hero
by PirateAngel
Summary: Elizabeth Cartwright was a normal CIA analyst, until one day an evil entrepreneur's crazy plan sent the dashing and charming Will Turner out of the movies and into her life! Expect fun, fluff, and charmingly awful grammatical errors. My first fanfic foray
1. Introductions

The cavern was dark, and filled with such a stench that even the lowly slugs held their noses as they passed. Our Fine Hero, crept along, slowly but confidently, not perturbed by the smell at all, he had walked these paths many times. Ahead he saw a bright light and proceeded to enter the main chamber of the dungeon. He squinted slightly but his eye only needed a split second to focus on the horror before him, directly ahead tied to a slowly crumbling stalagmite, suspended over a bottomless pit, filled with piranhas, was Our Fine Hero's One True Love. Quickly he hurried over to her aid, but was frozen when he heard his dreaded arch nemesis repeat a phrase that only the truly black in heart could mutter,  
  
"Have you finished those reports for me yet Lizzie?" Our Fine Hero looked up in disgust recoiling from those not so horrible words.  
  
"Hey Lizzie, have you finished with those reports yet. you-who are you even listening to me Lizzie, man it's like I'm talking to a brick wall, HEY LIZ!"  
  
Suddenly CIA analyst Elizabeth Cartwright snapped back into reality. As quickly as Our Fine Hero had dashed in to rescue his One True Love, Lizzie, as her friends or annoyers called her, had closed her favourite computer game and brought up the report she had finished hours ago.  
  
"Umm yes sir, just putting the last details in now sir, you know how I get so caught up in my work sir, just doing the job right is all." Lizzie looked up at Lt. Bradford Shanigan, the department pest who insisted on being treated with respect, but at the same time was a constant bully and nag to all those beneath him.  
  
"Oh and sir, I would remind you that you are to address me as Miss Cartwright in the future, this is after all a government organization," She smirked at him without looking up from the screen.  
  
"Puh-lease Lizard Breath I only respect those who deserve it, now kindly hand over those reports and spare me your annoying presence any longer." Bradford shoved his face into Elizabeth's and grinned slyly. Elizabeth raised her head and looked past him pleased to see both hers and Bradford's bosses General Harold Grippa, head of reconnaissance and Beverly Mackin, head of intelligence coming down the hall.  
  
"And one more thing," Bradford continued, his mind filled with mischief. "I'd like to tell you."  
  
"Why on earth I ever considered hiring a buffoon like you into the defence department," General Grippa had now reached Elizabeth's cubicle and was peering down loathingly at Bradford.  
  
Bradford stood as if all the angry women in the world were underneath him. Caught red-handed, he did his best to compensate for his extremely ignorant behaviour.  
  
"Umm. good day sir just doing a little progress report and talking to Lizzie.umm I mean Miss Cartwright here," he started to sweat a little, fearing for his job.  
  
"Lt. Shanigan I asked you a direct question, do you DARE have to cheek not to answer me?" General Grippa, a powerful man by reputation, now rose to his full height and stature, shaking the air as he did so.  
  
"Umm yes sir, right away sir, just one thing sir, I didn't hear the question sir." Bradford shrunk under the full force of the General's piercing stare.  
  
"I said LT. Why on earth would I ever, in a million years, entrust the state of this country's defence on a simpleton like you." The General's eyes dared Bradford to make a mistake.  
  
"Umm. well sir, in your words, if you don't mind me saying so sir, I'm the best." Bradford looked sheepishly from side to side pondering his escape route.  
  
"By George, you're right man, you are the best, and as the BEST you better start acting like it, because Miss Cartwright here is also the best, and that is precisely why the both of you are going to be working together on your next assignment." The General smiled through his smug defeat.  
  
Elizabeth, on the other hand was both shocked and appalled. All of the genius in her mind couldn't fathom what cruel and twisted fate the General could possibly have in mind for her and her greatest annoyance. However it was Bradford who wound up protesting.  
  
"General Grippa you can't be serious, I mean I'm sorry if I stepped out of line but what good could possibly come out of teaming an agent with an analyst," he sputtered without thinking.  
  
"Did I just hear a complaint from a lesser officer!" The General was now fully enraged and tired of this whiny agent. "How dare you! Now you and Miss Cartwright have the next assignment together and that is FINAL. You will both meet in my office for briefing tomorrow at 0600 is that clear!"  
  
"Yes sir," both Elizabeth and Bradford replied sheepishly as they watched the General depart triumphant.  
  
"Now Miss Cartwright," Miss Mackin said from her place of observance.  
  
"Yes Miss Mackin," Elizabeth replied immediately, ignoring entirely the sputtering of Bradford in the background.  
  
"I know the idea of field work."  
  
"Field Work! But I'm just an analyst! I can't handle the pressures of actual conflict," Elizabeth started to rave. "I mean I have a problem with direct confrontation I."  
  
"I understood that when I recommended you," Miss Mackin interrupted, much as Elizabeth had. "But also understand that you are the best, and most qualified for this position and I have complete faith in you." Miss Mackin beamed down at Elizabeth who, never being one for direct confrontation, melted immediately.  
  
"Yes Miss Mackin," Elizabeth said reluctantly.  
  
"Oh wonderful, I knew you would, oh I told the General that you'd be the one who could handle this ever important assignment," and with that Miss Mackin turned and left Elizabeth to deal with a simpering Bradford.  
  
"I can't believe that I am expected to work with a simpleton like you Lizard Breath," Bradford whined as he turned and started walking away. "Oh and you better not mess this up for me," and with that he turned the corner and left Elizabeth to ponder on the reality of her horrid situation.  
  
The rest of the day passed relatively fast and it seemed like no time before Elizabeth was packing up and leaving for her small flat on the outskirts of the city. She went quickly, stopping only once to pick up the evening paper, which, judging by the large headline held nothing but more bad news. Slowly Elizabeth read the garish headline of the tragic news,  
  
Tragedy Strikes New Cineplex Opening!  
Tragedy struck at the opening of the new Imax cinema on Broad St. this afternoon. Local Patrons were shocked when a tall theatregoer picked up a  
chain saw, mysteriously undetected and wielded it on an unsuspecting  
spectator. Luckily the man left shortly thereafter and no other patrons were harmed. The owners of the establishment commented that things would go on, as planned and security will be stepped up for the premiere of the new Johnny Depp film Pirates of the Caribbean on it's giant four story screen showing this Friday. For more information on purchasing a ticket for this  
grand affair contact your local Ticket Master. Local 2845-5677  
  
While Elizabeth was disturbed by the unfortunate events she couldn't help but be excited that one of her new favourite movies would be playing on so large a screen.  
  
"Will Turner would be twice the sexy pirate on a screen that big," she mused to herself as she entered her building and went up to her apartment for some well-deserved sleep. That is, after she revisited Our Fine Hero once again on her high speed computer.  
  
The morning came to quickly for Elizabeth and all to soon she found herself rounding the corner to her office and spying General Grippa and Miss Mackin conversing softly. She held back a little, to make sure they were finished their discussion and then coughed in order to make herself known.  
  
"Umm, Elizabeth Cartwright reporting for duty sir," she said sheepishly.  
  
"Oh wonderful Miss Cartwright, so glad you could join us, now we're only waiting for the Lieutenant," General Grippa said warmly as Bradford came careening around the corner.  
  
"Right here and reporting for duty sir, sorry the traffic was murderous," Bradford smiled as he saw Elizabeth, but any trace of happiness was disintegrated as he looked back at the General, who had lost any trace of happiness.  
  
"YOU are exactly ten minutes late Lieutenant, now shut up with your sorry excuses and follow me NOW," The General than turned back to Elizabeth and smiled in an almost fatherly way. "You come along too, Miss Cartwright, don't dawdle now," Elizabeth followed, dumfounded as the General and Miss Mackin led them to the briefing room.  
  
Miss Mackin motioned for all of them to take seats around the large conference table and dimmed the lights, drawing attention to a large screen on which the face of a surly middle aged man looked, grimacing down at them.  
  
"This," said Miss Mackin smoothly. "Is the notorious gold merchant, Augustine Churchill. And this," she said changing the picture to show a dead man lying on the ground with a chain saw in the middle of his back. "Is the agent we sent to track his whereabouts."  
  
Elizabeth had to look away, reminding herself that this was the main reason she was happy with her desk job. Then she remembered something that she has read the night before.  
  
"Hey!" she spoke up before any tact was thought of. "That was in the paper last night! He was killed at the new Imax cinema wasn't he?" Miss Mackin looked down at Elizabeth slightly annoyed but continued on.  
  
"Yes, Miss Mackin, as I was about to say he was trailing Churchill to the movies, when all of a sudden our transmission with him went dead and before we could respond he was dead. Unfortunately there has been a media leak lately that we have been trying to fix and that no doubt was the cause of Miss Cartwright's outburst."  
  
"Sorry," Elizabeth replied sheepishly, but something was itching at the back of her mind.  
  
"Quite alright, Miss Elizabeth. Now, as I was saying, before our agent was so fiendishly disposed of, he was able to relay back the plans of Churchill to regain his corner on the gold market."  
  
"But why kill him with a chainsaw at a Jason movie I mean that has nothing to do with gold!" Elizabeth blurted out once again.  
  
"AS I WAS SAYING, Miss Cartwright," Miss Mackin was losing a bit of patience and silenced any further outburst or apology from Elizabeth with an icy stare.  
  
"Augustine Churchill has built a machine, a machine capable of creating matter out of a picture. Or in our agents case, a chainsaw out of a movie screen" Miss Mackin paused in order to let the matter sink in. She had scarcely done so when the outcries of both Bradford and Elizabeth reverberated off of the briefing room walls.  
  
"Are you crazy?!" was Bradford's cry.  
  
"That's impossible!" was Elizabeth's.  
  
"You've gotta be kidin me, I mean what kind of idiot do you."  
  
"You'd better not finish your sentence Lt. Shanigan because I'll answer it most bluntly, now sit down and listen to Miss Mackin," General Grippa yelled from his seat.  
  
Miss Mackin composed herself and continued. "Yes you heard correctly, utilizing the most modern in digital imaging technologies Churchill has managed to create matter out of an image. Now as far as we have learned it only applies to inanimate objects, so instead of unleashing the psychopath Jason, he was only able to steal his chainsaw and use it to send us a message. This note was attached to the corpse," Miss Mackin said as she projected an image of a torn piece of paper on the screen. "It states that any further attempt by our defence department to slow his plans further will result in the brining about of far worse weapons." Miss Mackin made to continue, but Bradford interrupted before she could.  
  
"How do we know that this maniac even has this technology? I mean why use a machine that makes weapons out of pictures, in order to get more gold? I mean why steal weapons from movies when they're pretty easy to access anyway? I mean I don't mean to sound negative but any fool could walk into Wal-mart and purchase an Uzi?" Bradford just stared dumbfounded by his own questions.  
  
"Because he's not a murderer stealing weapon's," Elizabeth spoke up, finally realizing the motivation behind this greedy merchants crazy plot. "He's a pirate stealing treasure."  
  
"What?" Bradford yelled incredulously.  
  
"It's almost brilliant in it's insanity, Pirates of the Caribbean is playing this Friday at the Imax centre. There's more gold there than in a lot of places I've seen. He goes, creates it using his strange machine, and then claims that he got it from some secret source. Since the natural gold in the soil has deteriorated over the years, no doubt people will want to survey his land, but he can bribe or kill them if necessary. And suddenly he's at the top of the food chain again, no competition, no nothing, he stands to make a lot of profit out of it." Elizabeth finished and looked around her, Bradford was still dumbfounded, but the General and Miss Mackin were smiling at her.  
  
"That's correct Miss Cartwright, or at least that is what we suspect, given our information. That is why we want you two. Bradford because it's his job to be invisible, and you Elizabeth because we want to know how Churchill came to have this technology, how it works and how we can stop it." The itching worm came back into Elizabeth's mind and she interrupted again before Miss Mackin could continue.  
  
"But why, the Imax? Why risk doing it out in the open where there are witnesses? And for that matter, why a movie at all? Why not just scan a picture from the internet or something?" Elizabeth looked up expectedly.  
  
"These are all questions we asked ourselves too, and it seems that in order for the matter to come out the right size, the image needs to be many times bigger than intended in the end. And if an image was blown up the quality of image would be compromised and the matter would be unstable. Luckily it just so happens that the only screen suiting the right dimensions is this new Imax."  
  
"So," Elizabeth said finally catching on. "The only place where Churchill can carry this out, is at the Imax and now we know the date and time he's going to do it. What do you want us to do?" Elizabeth looked up with renewed determination and excitement in her eyes, there were bad guys trying to steal from her favourite movie and she was going to stop them.  
  
"Elizabeth we want you to get that machine and see how it works, it must be fairly small because Churchill was able to smuggle it in before, and he will again. Bradford we want you to stop and capture Augustine Churchill and bring him back to us, we need to know who else has this technology. You've been told and now I expect both of you to check in with our department of technology and get yourselves properly outfitted."  
  
"That's right," continued General Grippa. "And be proud that in a society in which it is increasingly hard to find dedicated solders, you two are doing a vast service for your country. Dismissed." He concluded by puffing out his chest as if to make the moment even more important.  
  
Both Bradford and Elizabeth stood and started for the door, but Elizabeth hung back. "Do you think I'm really capable of doing this Miss Mackin?"  
  
"Elizabeth I know you are, and if you succeed in regaining this technology, think of the good we can do, world hunger solved, plenty for all," Miss Mackin wore a strange look of satisfaction on her face, but Elizabeth was none the less moved.  
  
"I'll do my best Miss Mackin," she said as she walked through the door.  
  
"I know you will," and then when Elizabeth was out of earshot, "I'm counting on it." 


	2. Operation Pirate

Disclaimer: I forgot this last time, but I don't own anything, I just have fun playing around.hehehehe. So don't give me credit for the characters from Pirates cause they're not mine. But Elizabeth Cartwright, Bradford, The General and Miss Mackin are so by all means praise me for them! Author's Note: A big thanks to all those who've responded. You've inspired me to continue so keep doing it!  
  
It was a dark and stormy night, literally. The sky was black and streaked sporadically with ever approaching lightning, and rain pelted those foolish enough to forget an umbrella. Elizabeth was tense to say the least, and as she waited outside of the theatre for Bradford, her 'date' for the evening, she couldn't help but pick at her slightly less then manicured nails. He finally pulled around the corner and got out of his sleek BMW Z4 convertible.  
  
"Agents have all the fun," Elizabeth mumbled as he got out of the car brandishing a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. He looked as smooth and sleek as his car and Elizabeth couldn't quite help feeling a bit pampered as he presented his gifts to her. Her hopes however were dashed as soon as he spoke to her.  
  
"I wouldn't eat the candy if I were you, the pineapple is laced with cyanide, the chocolate fudge is a remote to trigger the fire alarms, the macadamia nut is a wireless down loader for Churchill's software and the cherry ones are plastic explosives," he said with a smile.  
  
"Cherry bombs, that's good, you think of that one yourself?" Elizabeth half sneered back.  
  
"Oh and the flowers expel a thirty minute knock out gas. You wouldn't believe the complete lack of lives you find in R&D," he said with a smile. "Shall we?" He said as he extended his arm to her.  
  
"Let's get this over with," Elizabeth said as she took his arm and walked into the theatre.  
  
Inside the theatre it was maddening. Fans of the movie were lined up like a coiled serpent waiting for the right moment to spring on its prey talking and comparing their favourite scenes. Everywhere you looked people were dressed as pirates, governors, damsels and even the occasional blacksmith. All were waiting patiently to see their favourite stars on the big screen. Bradford looked around sceptically, clearly disgusted with all that he saw.  
  
"Man, these people have no lives, I mean really, I know a girl in audio that says her twenty year old sister has already paid to see this movie four times, I mean really that's ridiculous," He sneered as he past a tiny pirate waving a sword frantically in his direction.  
  
"Aw that's not so bad, I mean she could have gone with family or friends," Elizabeth said sheepishly.  
  
"You can't be serious, I mean with movie ticket prices that's like forty bucks spent on a movie!" He replied a little louder than he had before.  
  
"Aw come on, not if you go on cheap nights, I mean it's really not that bad," Elizabeth said a bit more sheepishly than she had before.  
  
"Hey, wait a second, how many times have you been to this movie?" Brad said quite a bit louder than he had before.  
  
"Oh you know not that many, just you know about thirteen times," Elizabeth said quickly.  
  
"How many?" Bradford called.  
  
"Thirteen," Elizabeth said a bit louder.  
  
"HOW MANY?" Bradford gasped.  
  
"THIRTEEN!" Elizabeth confessed.  
  
"What!" Bradford yelled.  
  
"Shhhhhh! Cried Elizabeth, "we're supposed to be inconspicuous!"  
  
"Oh right," Bradford replied, finally calming down. "Man, are you obsessive or what! I mean I thought I was bad when I went and saw Tomb Raider three times in order to catch a glimpse of Laura Croft's." Elizabeth cut him off with an icy glare and a nod toward the ticket taker before he could say anything else embarrassing. "But hey, what are we standing around here for the movies starting."  
  
***** It was noisy inside the theatre, and the only thing getting louder than the thunder outside, was the screams of the cheering audience. Elizabeth and Bradford were perched on a balcony on the second floor of the theatre, staring intently at a spot nowhere near the movie screen. For below them, watching the screen intently was none other than Augustine Churchill. On his lap he held what looked like a laptop with a camera on it, but the screen was devoid of any desktop and there was a strange cord coming out of a hole in the top and connecting to an adapter that was plugged into an outlet on the wall.  
  
"When's this guy going to spring his trap?" Bradford sneered as he fought the temptation to spit on one of the bald henchman's heads.  
  
"Just be patient and watch the movie," Elizabeth implored.  
  
It was coming up to one of her favourite parts, the moment when, after the battle has ended, Will Turner and his one true love Elizabeth Swann, share an angsty moment in the cave. Elizabeth loved the tension between them as they, just about kiss, are interrupted by the hilariously well timed Captain Jack Sparrow. And then, when they realize that she's engaged and Will reminds her about her fiancée, it tore at Elizabeth (Cartwright that is) in oh such a good way. But there was no time for that, because just as her favourite part came up she looked down to see Churchill booting up his screen.  
  
"Bradford look!" Elizabeth whispered pointing to Churchill. "He's getting ready to set off his machine!"  
  
"This is it," Bradford said as he noticed it too. "On the count of three, one.two.BOOM!"  
  
The theatre shook from the sound of the close thunder and went black. Both Bradford and Elizabeth, shaken by the sound fell of the balcony (equipment and all), landing right on top of Churchill's henchmen, knocking both unconscious. Elizabeth looked at the computer screen, shining dully in the darkness that had apparently been unaffected by the power outage. However the camera which had been lit before, was now dark and lifeless. Augustine was oblivious to the mishap and started swearing under his breath, as Bradford and Elizabeth composed themselves in the dark.  
  
"Great now the timing of the device is off, there's no telling what we will pick up now," but any further contemplations were halted as the power, and movie burst back to life, the power restored. Bradford was first to realize the gravity of the situation.  
  
"Lizard Breath! The Chocolate Fudge!" Quickly Elizabeth whipped out her chocolates and bit down on what she hoped was the chocolate fudge. Immediately, the theatre buzzed to life and the fire alarms rang loud. The movie screen paused and people screaming and yelling rushed for the exits while Augustine looked around incredulously.  
  
"You! I should have trusted that the CIA wouldn't have held back! Hans, Franz, the guns quickly!" Augustine whipped around trying to locate the two henchmen he had called and scowled when he realized that both were knocked out on the floor.  
  
"Fine than I'll have to do it myself," he said as he pulled a fierce looking gun out his pocket.  
  
"Elizabeth run!" Bradford called as simultaneously a lot of strange things happened.  
  
Firstly Bradford tackled Augustine, knocking the gun out of his hands and sending them both sprawling into the adjacent row. Secondly, the timer on the computer ran to zero and the camera started to pick up the image on screen. And thirdly the largest storm in the history of this particular tri- county area let a giant bolt of lightening land right on the power transformer of the theatre. Power surged through the theatre coursing through the camera and computer shorting out its power. The lights flashed and the theatre was once more plunged into darkness.  
  
Elizabeth grabbed the flashlight from her pocket and shone it around the theatre. She looked for Bradford and Augustine and saw them bolting out of one of the doors in the theatre, Bradford chasing Augustine. Elizabeth however transferred her attention to the computer and walked toward it only to see a civilian dressed as Will Turner who was confronting a now reawakened henchman. The civilian's back was turned to her and she could see the henchman glaring at him, brandishing a gun and a torch glairing in his face.  
  
"Where is Elizabeth?" the civilian cried at the henchman unaware of his gun.  
  
Suddenly Elizabeth realized that the civilian wasn't a civilian but another agent! Probably backup sent to make sure the operation went well. But why was he wearing that ridiculous costume and how had he known her first name. Her time to contemplate was cut short however when the Henchman, noticing her, grabbed the other agent around and pressed the gun into his back.  
  
"Drop the torch!" The angered henchman called.  
  
Elizabeth did so before she could see the face of her captured friend. She thought frantically as to what she could do and tensed as she heard the other henchman regaining consciousness behind her. Frantically she searched her pockets and cried a silent shout of triumph as her hands rested on the flowers. She gripped them but froze as the henchman levelled his light on her.  
  
"Toss me the gun or your friend here gets it," of course! The henchman thought that Elizabeth's flowers was a gun! Elizabeth quickly weighed the points in the situation and decided that one temporarily unconscious agent was better than two dead ones.  
  
"Whatever you say," she said as she began retracting the flowers from her coat. "But just let me say one thing."  
  
The henchman laughed at her and glared condescendingly. "Oh yeah, what."  
  
"Sweet Dreams!" As quickly as she could Elizabeth pressed the release on the flowers and threw them at henchman. A purplish gas spilled from them and faster than a hyperactive kid runs for an ice cream truck, the henchman, torch and agent dropped, sleeping like babies. Elizabeth plugged her nose and held her breath as she picked up the flowers and, pausing only to knockout the other henchman again, walked to an emergency exit and threw the toxic plant outside into the still pouring rain.  
  
Assessing the situation as under control once more she walked back to the sleeping agent, fallen torch and overloaded computer thing. Seeing as she only had two hands and had already traversed most of the theatre in the dark, Elizabeth ditched the torch, stuffed the computer in her case, slung it over her shoulder and grabbed the sleeping agent dragging him towards the emergency exit closest to her waiting car. She had almost arrived when the power came back on and the theatre was flooded with light, and almost immediately managers and workers of the theatre came flooding in. At this point Elizabeth realized that, at that point in time, dragging an unconscious person out of a theatre which had recently been attacked and that had just had a whole lot of screaming people running out of it, she wouldn't look so good. As quickly as she could she dragged the sleeping man out into the storm and towards her beat up old Chevy.  
  
"Agents have all the fun," she said sarcastically as she opened her door and shoved the still unconscious man into the back seat.  
  
She was about to see if she recognized the agent when an employee noticed the open emergency exit and came to investigate.  
  
"Hey You! Stay where you are!" the adrenaline filled film jockey cried as he ran out into the storm.  
  
"Oh man could you guys just give me a minute!" Elizabeth cried as she once again rushed to shut the door, and scramble into the front seat. Just as the attendant reached her car she tore off into the night leaving only a soaked cinema employee and a trail of poorly muffled exhaust gas in her wake.  
  
***** Elizabeth was stumped; she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to take the agent back to headquarters because she didn't even know if he was for sure an agent, (although something in his voice was familiar) and she didn't want to take him back to her place because somehow she figured that it was inappropriate. And so she had decided, as soon as she was sure she wasn't followed, to park and let the attendant explain himself. And so it was that at 11:30 at night Elizabeth was sitting in the front seat of her car, watching the rain on the windshield hoping that this sleeping guy would hurry and wake up! Suddenly her wish was granted and she almost peed herself as she realized the man in the back was stirring. Grabbing her flashlight from the glove compartment, which could double as a club, she whirled on the mysterious man.  
  
"Who are you and what do you want," she froze at what she saw.  
  
"My name is Will Turner," said Will as he sat up in the back seat. "And I was about to ask the same of you."  
  
Elizabeth fainted dead away. 


	3. The First Night

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, I had a busy weekend but it's ok cause I'm posting two chapters this week! (not now mind you) This has some of my favourite bits this chapter and I would like to know your fav bits so please feel free to read and review  
  
Elizabeth didn't know how long she was out for, but suspected it wasn't very long because she awoke to find Will staring down at her clearly puzzled.  
  
"Are you alright miss?" he said softly as he helped her sit back in her seat, which was awkward enough, seeing as he was in the back. "I didn't know what to do when you fainted but there wasn't much I could do seeing as there is no way out of this cage."  
  
"Cage?" Elizabeth said groggily, and then realizing that she was talking to a man who lived a few generations before cars were established, she chuckled slightly.  
  
"If you'll excuse me miss, I don't think this is a laughing matter at all, we are both trapped here, we don't know where we are or to what purpose we have been imprisoned." Will looked at her with a puzzled glance and Elizabeth almost felt herself faint once more. "You don't look well miss, is they're anything obstructing your breathing?"  
  
Elizabeth couldn't help chuckling a bit more, before noticing the concern on Will's face and turning her expression serious.  
  
"No I am fine. Just a little confused," Elizabeth said contemplating her surroundings. "We're not trapped, this is a car and it belongs to me." Elizabeth concluded at a loss for any other words.  
  
Will on the other hand suddenly had much to say, his gaze shifting suddenly from puzzled to fierce. Leaning back he drew his sword and before Elizabeth could react, she had one of the finest swords in the Caribbean pressed against her throat.  
  
"Do not think, lady that because of your sex I will spare you!" Will said with a fierce determination. "Now answer my questions carefully and you may escape from this alive."  
  
Elizabeth was frightened and hurt by her favourite movie character (having a blade of steel pressed against your throat does that to a relationship) but realized the stress he must have been under so nodded her head compliantly.  
  
"Who are you?" He demanded fiercely.  
  
"My name is Elizabeth." and suddenly she felt the blade cut slightly into her throat. Elizabeth gasped and prepared to kiss her butt goodbye when her still present head and Will's booming voice drew her back.  
  
"You lie! You use that name only because you know that it is my weakness!" Elizabeth couldn't help but think of the romance behind that accusation but quickly snapped back to reality as Will applied more pressure to the blade.  
  
"No I swear to you, on my mother's grave my name is Elizabeth! Elizabeth Cartwright!" she braced against the side of the car awaiting the furry of the torn pirate blacksmith.  
  
"What do you want with me?" he demanded.  
  
"I don't want anything with you!" Elizabeth's voice was shaking and she was almost at the brink of tears. She also hoped that Will didn't realize that she wasn't entirely truthful in her statement.  
  
"How did I get here?" he said his voice calming slightly.  
  
"After you were knocked out at the theatre I carried you back to my car because I didn't know who you were. I swear I mean you no harm and I can explain everything if you just give me a chance!" Elizabeth hoped the pleading in her voice was enough to convince Will of her sincerity.  
  
"I'll ask the questions here!" Elizabeth could tell that, despite his fierce outer appearance, Will, inside, believed her answers.  
  
"Yes sir," she replied in the calmest voice she could muster.  
  
"Where am I?" he said the edge in his voice finally ebbing.  
  
"The question sir is not where, but where and when." Elizabeth hoped that by fighting cursed pirates and witnessing his friend turned briefly into an undead, Will had a slightly open mind.  
  
"What? You're insane." He obviously was having a little trouble with it.  
  
"My name is Elizabeth Cartwright, as I said before. I am an agent for the American government. We were investigating a case when things went wrong and instead of stealing the gold from your time, we stole you." Elizabeth looked into his eyes hoping to portray how sorry she was, and how sincere she was trying to be.  
  
"I do not believe you," Will said not letting his guard down.  
  
"I know that it's hard to believe but please, you have to trust me. How else do you explain what has happened to you, I mean one minute your standing by a heap of treasure and the next your in a dark room confronting an ugly ogre and then you're knocked out, only to be revived in a stranger's car. You can chose to believe this, and stop threatening me with your sword or," Elizabeth said squaring her shoulders. "We can just sit her in the car all night, cause without my help you're not going anywhere."  
  
"Alright" Will said relaxing and putting his sword away. "How do I get home?"  
  
"See that's just it, I don't exactly know yet." Elizabeth winced as she saw Will reaching for his sword again and hurried to continue. "But I will, eventually, if you just let me go back to my apartment and figure this out. I could drop you off at."  
  
"Oh no you don't," Will said leaning forward and grabbing her arm. "You are not leaving my sight until you can bring me back home."  
  
"I will do whatever you say and rest assured I will not rest until I can get you back home." Inwardly Elizabeth cheered, she wasn't really ready to turn him over to headquarters just yet so she decided to take both of them back to her apartment (suddenly realizing that, considering Will was already with somebody, it was no longer entirely inappropriate). She invited him to get into the front seat, after showing him how to use the door and lock, and together the two of them drove off into the night.  
  
On the way back to her apartment Elizabeth filled in most of the details about Augustine, the machine, Pirates of the Caribbean, and her role in the CIA. Will had been sceptical at most of it, ok at some of it (On a certain level he understood Augustine's fascination with treasure) and down right contradicting of a bit of it ("I'm an actor!?"). Overall it took a lot of calm talking from Elizabeth and a look at a giant billboard movie advertisement on the freeway, to convince him that he wasn't dreaming and that he had, somehow, been transported into another time and place.  
  
As he watched the Billboard pass, Will looked at the strange girl who had helped him and was continuing to help him. He had seen all the evidence he needed and was now convinced that either he was having the most incredible dream of his life, or she was telling the truth. He hadn't discovered why yet, but something had led him to trust her.  
  
"So you think that I am the only one who was taken out of the screen?" he asked tentatively, wanting to know if anyone else had been effected, namely Elizabeth, Swann not Cartwright, he reminded himself.  
  
Elizabeth looked down on him and smiled. "Yeah, you were the only on the screen at the time so you're the only one we need to worry about." Will was comforted by this and by Elizabeth Cartwright's kind smile and funny dialogue. He realized how much he had scared her before and was quick to apologize.  
  
"Look I'm sorry if I didn't believe you before, you'd think I'd have a more open mind, dealing with curses and undead and such," he stared back out the window avoiding her kind eyes staring back at his undeserving ones.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you were plenty frightened and worried about Elizabeth and stuff, I probably would have done the same thing in your position."  
  
At the mention of her name Will thought about Elizabeth again, how she had left him for Norrington, how he had told her to. He suddenly realized how lonely his life back home would be now with her removed from it. However he did enjoy the company of this Elizabeth, and would strive his best to please her if, in the least only to heal the pain he felt from losing his Elizabeth.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts," he heard Elizabeth Cartwright say, pulling him out of his reverie.  
  
"Pardon?" Will said, unfamiliar with the expression. He saw Elizabeth chuckle a little bit and then smile at him again.  
  
"A penny for your thoughts, it's something you say to someone who is caught in a dream."  
  
"A dream," Will pondered. "A dream is defiantly something that I feel I'm caught in."  
  
"Well sorry to awake you dreamer, but we've reached my apartment and it's still raining cats and dogs outside. So here's to a rude awakening," Elizabeth said as she turned off the engine and unlocked the doors.  
  
Will smiled as she got of the car and came around and opened his. He cringed slightly at his abuse of the gentleman's code, but as of yet he was still having trouble with the whole, seatbelt, and car door mechanism. As he stepped out into the rain and became drenched, he looked at Elizabeth and smiled for the first time since he had entered this strange new world.  
  
"Lead me on, fair maiden," he said trying to regain what little gentlemanly nature he had left, by running ahead and opening the foyer door.  
  
"Cut that out!" Elizabeth revelled in every minute of being near Will, from his beautiful face to his noble mannerisms. She chided him knowing full well he would never abandon his chivalry. She smiled slightly as she passed him and crossed the foyer to unlock the inner door. She turned around to see him gazing up at the long staircase, which served as a route to most of the floors in the complex.  
  
"This is amazing." Will said with awe as he walked through the foyer. "To think that such massive buildings exist and house so many people in such a small space!"  
  
"Small is defiantly the operative word there," Elizabeth said as she moved to stand beside Will and looked up through the staircase to the twentieth floor. "But I guess it would seem pretty amazing to someone whose isn't used to using steel and such when building houses." She looked at his awed glance and her heart skipped a little beat.  
  
"This is definitely something I want to take back with me, I mean the use of steel and metal to make houses could make a very wealthy living for a blacksmith."  
  
"Or a pirate with blacksmith tendencies," Elizabeth joked, hoping he would find it funny.  
  
"Yes," Will said casting his eyes downward. "I'm sure it would be." Elizabeth's plan didn't work; Will had a poor sense of humour, and a history he was at this point ashamed with. This was something Elizabeth would have to try and remedy.  
  
"Come on then," Elizabeth said while heading for the first flight of stairs. "We don't have all night."  
  
Elizabeth flung open the door with all the feigned enthusiasm she could muster after climbing three flights of stairs, realizing that the elevator, despite any shock value it would have had on Will, would have been a better idea.  
  
"Here it is, I know it isn't much but the government doesn't pay very well." Elizabeth stepped inside so that Will could see her small, one room apartment. Seeing the puzzled look on his face she suddenly became very self-conscious about the sights, sounds and most embarrassingly, the smells of her apartment. However, what Will said was twice as bad as she could have imagined.  
  
"Is there only the one bed?" Will said tentatively.  
  
Elizabeth did a slight double take at her now incredibly small and stupid apartment, and then panicked slightly as she realized that no gentleman would agree to sleep in the same room as a lady. She finally reigned triumphant as she realized she could probably sleep in the bathtub, thanking Australia for its influence in detaching it from the toilet and sink. As quickly as she had realized this she had wiped the look of shock of her face and replaced it with a large cheesy grin.  
  
"Oh no, no, no!" Elizabeth said hoping Will would believe her. "This is only my guest bed! I sleep in the other room," she said pointing to the bathroom door. "Yeah I actually just changed the bedding on my bed so I'll have to grab it from the linen closet but umm, yeah come in come in."  
  
"Oh ok, I was just making sure. I would never want to make you feel uncomfortable in your own home." Elizabeth could almost see the uncomfort evident in his own voice, and mentally kicked herself for thinking that she could pull off inviting an incredibly hot, pirate, gentleman over for a sleepover.  
  
"Um it's no problem at all, just come in and make yourself comfortable." Elizabeth said as Will entered and stood in the middle of her bed/living room. "Ah are you hungry?" She asked frantically trying to make conversation. "You must be. I'll see what I have in the cupboard, you just stay here, or maybe you could go sit on the be.Couch! You could go sit on the couch, yeah." And with that Elizabeth, her face as red as a fresh steamed lobster, ran around the corner to the kitchen, working furiously to hide the excitement and fear she felt at having her gentleman a guest in her home.  
  
Will felt the tension change as soon as he entered the flat, Elizabeth suddenly becoming tense and jumpy. He tried his best to make her comfortable; he sat politely on her couch and watched her make dinner, (the most marvel thing, the whole meal came from a single blue box!) he smiled and complimented her on it while they ate, and when she said goodnight and retired to her bedroom with her bedding and computer, he wished her pleasant dreams. But still, he could sense she was uneasy, but not wanting to upset her further he lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.  
  
His dream was odd, and frightening. He was standing in the midst of many tall, steel buildings the tops of which he could not see and people were calling to him. Captain Jack Sparrow was in one, and his Elizabeth was in another. There was a strange group of people in one, and furthest from him Elizabeth Cartwright was calling. All of a sudden His Elizabeth's building caught fire! He ran toward it immediately but was shocked when the New Elizabeth's building caught fire as well! He didn't know which way to go and the longer he stood there the worse the fire became, until all around him there was fire and a sickly tapping sound.  
  
Will woke suddenly from his dream to the strange tapping sound. He looked at the digital clock that Elizabeth had showed him and realized that he'd only been asleep for four and a half hours. He looked through the curtains and saw the sky starting to brighten as the sun approached. Slowly he got up and searched out the tapping sound, following it to Elizabeth's door. Alarmed that it might be the fire from his dream, he knocked frantically.  
  
"Elizabeth are you all right!?" he called into the door, but there was no answer. "Elizabeth I said are you all right?!" again there was no answer at the door. Will started to panic when he heard no answer and beat his fist against the door.  
  
"Elizabeth!" and as he heard no answer a third time, he threw all rules aside and burst into her bedroom.  
  
"Elizabeth!" 


	4. Just a fraction of a second Longer!

Author's note: Ok here it is as promised! My favourite chapter too! I told you I would deliver! Oh and to CATZ, sorry but I don't know how to change it! Tell me how to and I will. Till then have fun!  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Elizabeth screamed from the bathtub as Will burst through the door. She had been working on Augustine's computer, listening to her headphones in her favourite puppy pyjamas when he had suddenly burst in screaming at her. Almost as fast as she had screamed, he had turned and bolted from the room, apologizing profusely as he went. Quickly she put aside the computer and struggled to get out of the tub, chasing after him.  
  
"Will wait!" She said as he stopped and froze. "What's going on?!" Elizabeth could barely understand the string of babbling that followed.  
  
"IhadabaddreamandIthoughtyouwereintroublebutyouweren'tbutyoucouldn'thearmean dIburstthroughthedoorandyouwereinthebathandI'msorry!!!!!!"  
  
"What?" Elizabeth said incredulously. "Slow down!"  
  
"I had a bad dream and I thought you were in trouble. But you weren't, but you couldn't hear me and I burst through the door and you were in the bath and I'm sorry!" He hung his head in shame as he finished, but then looked up again. "Why were you sitting in a bathtub?"  
  
Elizabeth burst out laughing, and Will, clearly thinking that it was inappropriate, just stood and looked at her.  
  
"Why is it Miss Elizabeth, that you always think to laugh at the most inappropriate times? I thought you were in dire peril. You can at least explain to me why instead of finding you fighting for your life in a bedroom, I found you perfectly safe in a bathtub."  
  
Elizabeth fought the desire to laugh at Will's use of the words "dire" and "peril" in the same sentence seriously, and straightened her face.  
  
"It's me who should be sorry, I lied to you before." Elizabeth said, as it was her turn to hang her head in shame. "I don't have a guest bed, that was my bed. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable by staying in the same room as you, what with that whole gentleman thing, so I just figured I'd sleep in the bath for a night until I could convince you to go to headquarters and be looked after there. I'm sorry I should have been upfront about my lodging capacities sooner." Elizabeth couldn't believe she had just said that dorky truth, but there it was none the less.  
  
"You should have told me, I'd prefer sleeping in the bathtub for my entire life than being held from the truth," Will said as he remembered the deception His Elizabeth had put him through.  
  
"No you wouldn't, I didn't get any sleep last night because of that plastic monstrosity," and then seeing the gentlemanly defeat in Will's eyes. "Oh but that's ok because I worked on tearing apart Augustine's computer all night so that we could get you home. That's probably what woke you up, my typing on the computer, sorry about that," Elizabeth said with a sheepish grin as she re-entered the bathroom. "Come on I'll show you what I disturbed your sleep for."  
  
"It was no problem Miss Elizabeth, I just wish you'd let me treat you more appropriately," Will said as he cautiously followed her into the bathroom.  
  
Elizabeth suddenly stopped and turned to face him. "Appropriately? Man don't you realize that the last thing a girl wants is for a guy to treat her appropriately?" she said in a joking manner.  
  
Will's expression changed from one of shame to shock. "Excuse me but you have no right to tell me how to handle a woman! My ways are not your ways, and."  
  
Both parties suddenly realized they had broached a sensitive subject, but it was Elizabeth who was the first to slow things down. "Whoa!" she yelled out to stop him. "um, yeah your right I was way out of line I should probably take things more seriously, I guess I still can't believe that you're actually here, in my bathroom."  
  
"I can't believe that I'm here either, but that doesn't change the fact that for the time being we are roommates as it were, so we should try and treat each other with respect and courtesy."  
  
Elizabeth was moved by his speech, not to mention the fact that he was standing about a foot from her looking hotter than the noonday sun. Then the realization that she was still in her pyjamas, they were still in her bathroom, and that they actually had a purpose in standing there re-dawned on her.  
  
"I agree. So, onto the computer and getting you back to your One and Only." She said wishing he didn't think she was a total freak.  
  
Will couldn't understand this Elizabeth, one minute she was loud and sarcastic, and the next she was quite, reserved and tense. She was unpredictable and he liked that in her, but she was puzzling. The only thing more puzzling than her was the strange machine she called a computer. As he walked over to the bathtub and watched Elizabeth climb in and grab it, he made a mental note to ask whether or not she had learned some of her odd behaviour from the machine she was always dragging along.  
  
Elizabeth's now calm voice spoke to him again so he shoved his thoughts aside for later.  
  
"It'll probably be more comfortable if we set up in the living room, could you just wait here while I change into some normal clothes?"  
  
Comfort was defiantly something he wanted Elizabeth to have, Will figured that if Elizabeth was comfortable it would decrease her tension and thereby the chances of her trying to joke with him again. "Umm certainly, I would never think of,"  
  
"I figured you wouldn't." Elizabeth interrupted as she swiftly turned and walked out of the door.  
  
Left alone, Will looked back at where Elizabeth had tried to sleep, shamed by her refusal of his gentlemanly nature. He decided that the true gentleman would do only what made his host feel comfortable and so scooped up the bedding and hauled it in with him as she called him back.  
  
"What's all that for? Are you cold or something? I could turn up the heat." There she went again trying to make him comfortable! Why couldn't he be allowed to show her that he appreciated her?  
  
"No I just thought that in the event of us spending another night together you would kindly allow me to sleep by the foot of your bed, instead of in the bathtub."  
  
Something in his sentence broke the tension and for once he was finally grateful when she chuckled.  
  
"It would do me great pleasure good sir," she said with a smile. "Now back to the computer," she said motioning him to sit down on the couch next to her.  
  
"Now back to the computer," Elizabeth still couldn't believe what was happening. Will Turner was sitting next to her, conversing like a normal person. He was even interested in her computer babble! Granted he didn't have a clue what was going on, but he was really nice about making sure that Elizabeth felt comfortable. The only problem was, the closer he got, the more uncomfortable she became. Stuff like that tends to happen when you're sitting next to the most incredibly hot guy you've ever met, and he doesn't even know that you think he's good-looking.  
  
"Now what's this here?" Will asked, bringing her attention back to the screen momentarily.  
  
Elizabeth was currently hacking Augustine's computer system, trying to find out whether it was his genius, or someone else's who had brought this miracle to pass; the screen right now was just a bunch of binary code.  
  
"Umm, this is a breakdown of Augustine's hard drive." Elizabeth said in the most basic words she could think of, she was actually routing through his whole system, but hard drive was the simplest she could think of.  
  
"So this man has trapped his ambition on this machine. It's no wonder you find it so dangerous," Will looked at the screen in earnest concern.  
  
Elizabeth on the other hand, fought the desire to chuckle heartily with every fibre of her being, knowing that she would only be making fun of Will. However, she failed when a tiny smirk and a small snort escaped her lips. Will heard and was instantly embarrassed.  
  
"I do not know why I bother to say anything at all, seeing as how everything I do is worthy of mockery from you. Do keep in mind Miss Elizabeth that your strange words have very little meaning to me, I mean how would you like it if you were trapped in my time, and everything I said was complete babble to you?" Elizabeth could see a tiny fire of indignation in his eyes, and, while her heart skipped a beat at the sight of his passion, she knew, once again that she had let her lack of tact offend someone.  
  
"I'm sorry, sometimes I can be a complete loser. I mean I just don't know when to keep my mouth shut. Please accept my apology and allow me to explain so that we can shine light on further misconceptions." Elizabeth said as grandly as she could muster.  
  
"I accept," agreed Will.  
  
"Ok," Elizabeth continued. "Umm, hard drive, it's kind of like." Elizabeth tried for a minute to think of an analogy that Will could understand. She thought of what was relevant to him and struck gold, in a manner of speaking, when she thought of a scene from the movie.  
  
"It's like a cache!" she cried triumphantly.  
  
"Like a Pirates cache?" Will asked tentatively.  
  
"Exactly like a pirates cache," Elizabeth smiled back, doubling the size when she saw the comprehension in Will's eyes. "A person, or, sticking to the analogy, a pirate, stores everything they've collected in the cache, and categorizes it into files, you follow?"  
  
"I think so, what's a file?" Will asked again, becoming more comfortable now that Elizabeth was settling down.  
  
"A file is like. a treasure chest, it holds all the important stuff inside. And each treasure chest can be found by following a binary code, or a map. You understanding this?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
"I think so." Will replied leaning closer to the screen (Elizabeth's heart raced just a little faster seeing as the computer was sitting on her lap.) "So you're following the map in hopes that you can find more out about this camera maker device?"  
  
"Yes, I'm also hoping to trace his pathways in order to find out who else is behind this, Augustine didn't strike me as the computer going type and if he's paying someone to do this I want to know who it is." Elizabeth focused her attention back onto the screen, answering Will's questions as she typed.  
  
"So how do you plan to trace the person behind this?" Will asked curiously as he leaned a bit closer. Now his and her faces were mere centimetres apart.  
  
"Well each computer, or user has a certain code which they like to follow. Like a sailor has a favourite route to a destination."  
  
"So," Will said catching on. "We find out this persons route and we find out how to find this person." He looked at Elizabeth with a smile, as if seeking approval for catching on so quickly.  
  
"And, with any luck we find you a way back home." Elizabeth said putting on a feigned smile. She regretted her statement the moment she said it, as Will did a sort of double take and straightened up immediately.  
  
"Exactly," he said with a voice that was torn between excitement and grief.  
  
"I mean that's why were here," Elizabeth said half-heartedly, she didn't like the idea of Will leaving, especially now that she had found out that his hot gentleman outside reflected an even hotter, kinder, passionate gentleman inside. "I mean if it wasn't for you I'd just be turning this into R&D and some nerdy loser would get all the credit. You're giving me a great opportunity to prove myself."  
  
"Well I'm glad for that." Will said smiling limply.  
  
"Anyway, this shouldn't take much longer," Elizabeth said, changing the subject and focusing back on the monitor screen.  
  
"What are you doing now?" Will asked regaining his curiosity.  
  
"Well, as luck would have it, Augustine, or whoever created this program used a standard program builder." Elizabeth looked up momentarily to see the blank look on Will's face and quickly continued. "This is kind of like investing your treasure, you start with a little, and then you manipulate it and it becomes larger."  
  
"This is fascinating, but how will it help us find him?" Will asked.  
  
"Well see it's a pretty standard program, commercially made, so most people need to register they're computer. And so if we track the registration we can see who owns the computer, and hopefully my hunch is correct and Augustine hired out."  
  
Elizabeth was fully concentrating on the computer now, completely in her element. Will was impressed by her knowledge of this complex machine and wondered at how skilfully she was able to manipulate it. He looked at her again bent over the small screen with such determination in her eyes, and noticed that despite seeming plain she looked quite lovely now that he took time to notice it. He thought that she even looked a bit like. He stopped himself before he could think any further; the memories of His Elizabeth's betrayal to painful for him. He turned his thoughts back to This Elizabeth with whom he had no doubt that she would do the best she could and that it would be sufficient.  
  
Before long Elizabeth discovered the registration number. Will was surprised however, when, instead of a look of triumph, she wore a look of shock on her face.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked gently.  
  
"I don't know maybe I'm just tired," Elizabeth said her eyes not moving from the screen and a slight edge of tension creeping into her voice. "Would you do me a favour and read out the last four digit code in that registration number?" Will sensed something was amiss but did what he was told none the less.  
  
"Umm, it's oh-four-oh-seven." The tension in Elizabeth's face rose, so Will hurried to continue. "Why, what's going on?" Will asked his question and felt the tension in the room rise immediately and drastically.  
  
Suddenly Elizabeth bolted up from the couch and ran for the kitchen, leaving Will standing there bewildered.  
  
"What is going on Elizabeth?" Will said as a slight tone of tension crept its way into his own voice.  
  
If Elizabeth heard him, she made no sign of it. He watched as she rifled through a few drawers and then rushed back to the computer, wielding a small screwdriver. Will feared that she was going to attack the computer but was surprised when she merely shut it's lid and turned it over on it's back. Now she took the screwdriver and shoved it into a bolt on what looked like a cover plate spinning the device madly so that she could get inside. When she finally was finished she tossed the screwdriver aside and flipped over the cover plate looking frantically for something that Will could only guess at. However, it quickly appeared that she had found it as she almost dropped the computer and then sat there staring blankly at a wall. Will didn't know what was going on, but arrived at the conclusion that something about this registration number had upset her, so, not wanting to see her sad he moved to comfort her.  
  
"Don't worry it will all be right Elizabeth, we'll figure this out," he said as he sat next to her and took her hand lovingly.  
  
It seemed that Elizabeth had other plans. She jerked her hand away so quickly, Will feared he had hurt her.  
  
"Elizabeth what is the matter, did I hurt you?" Elizabeth looked at him as though she had just re-discovered he was there.  
  
Suddenly, she burst up again, crossing to all the windows, shutting and locking them. She ran to the door, opened it swiftly and then shut it with a slam, and then locked it tightly. Will was extremely frightened at the way she moved, almost like a frightened bird in a cage, Then she started mumbling to herself and Will realised that if he did not take drastic action he might lose her to insanity.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have done this. Why don't they understand that I can't handle direct confrontation," Elizabeth mumbled as Will saw her begin to frantically search through all of the cupboards.  
  
"Elizabeth." Will said trying to regain her attention, fearing now more than he had since His Elizabeth's capture by Barbossa.  
  
It didn't work and as she straightened up and moved to look under the bed, he could hear her mumbling more.  
  
"How am I going to protect Will? How am I going to protect myself?"  
  
Will became increasingly alarmed and moved to intercept Elizabeth before she could make it to the bathroom, hoping that he could snap her out of her state so that she could tell him how to help her. Mustering all the courage that he had, he again tore down the rules of gentlemanly nature and moved to take action.  
  
Elizabeth was panicking at what she had uncovered. How could she have been so stupid to fall for something so simple? She wished she had just turned over the computer like a good girl, but no she had to play house host. Now she didn't know what she was going to do and it was freaking her out. So she had decided to secure her apartment, not realizing that she was completely freaking out her houseguest. So much so that she was entirely shocked when out of the blue (or so she thought) he spun her around, grabbed her, and held her face centimetres from his own.  
  
"Elizabeth! Look at me. What is going on?" he said as he forced her to look into his beautiful, puppy brown eyes.  
  
Elizabeth was surprised at the calming effect it had on her and was able to regain composure long enough to tell him.  
  
"The computer's CIA," she told him softly, as the edge started backing off from her voice.  
  
"What?" was all the response a bewildered Will could muster.  
  
"The last four digits are like an identification tag," Elizabeth explained, delighted that Will was still holding her face. "All members of the CIA use oh-four-oh-seven as the last four digits in any registration number because it acts as an encryption code."  
  
Elizabeth couldn't bear to look Will in the eyes any longer, but his firm hands wouldn't let her escape.  
  
"I didn't know for sure at first but the label on the back of the hard drive face plate confirms it. This was an inside job, we were betrayed." Elizabeth didn't know what to do so she just stood there.  
  
"What does this mean for us," Will asked not letting Elizabeth slip from his gaze. Both of them were finding strength in each other that they did not see before.  
  
"It means that, as of now, you're a secret. They can't know you exist or know that I know you exist. I can't let them have this computer because they won't give it back and then we'll have no way of getting you home." Elizabeth hoped that Will could sense the apology she was sending him.  
  
"Is that all?" he asked calmly.  
  
"No. It also means that if they find out about you, about us, they'll stop at nothing to get you back, and we will both be in great danger. We may even wind up."  
  
But Will didn't let her finish, silencing her with a single finger across her lips. Elizabeth's heart was racing as twice as fast as it was the minute before, only Will's soft voice could calm her.  
  
"Know now, that for the kindness you have shown me, and that which you continue to show me, I will let no harm come to you." Will pulled his finger away from Elizabeth's lips and both stood there, feeling the tension rise.  
  
"Thank you," was all that Elizabeth could muster. She was completely shocked, they were like millimetres apart and it seemed as if each moment that passed brought them infinitely closer.  
  
Elizabeth almost panicked right then, wondering whether it would be inappropriate to fling her arms around Will and never let him go. Slowly, slowly both bodies moved together until both their desires were interrupted as a loud knocking sounded at the door, sending both dreamers out of their skins. They whirled to face the door as another loud knock sounded.  
  
"Hey Will, hope you weren't kidding with that last comment." Elizabeth said as another knock shattered the air.  
  
"I hardly ever kid, Miss Elizabeth," came Will's reply as he unsheathed his sword.  
  
Together they stood; ready to brave whatever threat lie before them. Both of them wishing that the disturbance would have waited just a fraction of a second longer. 


	5. The Intrusion

Author's Note: Ok so here I go again, so sorry about the formatting, I tried my hardest to fix it I swear!! Ok so thanks for all my faithful reviews the next chap (not this one) is dedicated to you! And sooooo much fun the next chap is going to be!!!!! Anyway, here we go I give you.. THE INTRUSION!!!!  
  
The knocking continued and Elizabeth almost peed her pants at the voice she heard behind the door.  
  
"Lizard Breath? Hey you in there Lizzie?" Came Bradford's loud and boarish voice from behind the door.  
  
"Aw man!" was Elizabeth's shocked response; Bradford was the last person she had expected.  
  
"Hey Elizabeth, I'm coming in!" Bradford yelled from behind the door.  
  
Great, that was the last thing Elizabeth needed, her conceded butt kissing partner for the day bursting through the door to find her in the company of a make believe hero and the enemy's secret weapon. She had to think quickly.  
  
"Oh.umm no! Brad I was drying my hair, I have to get dressed! I'll be there in a minute," she called before Bradford could break the door down.  
  
"Um. ok just checking, call me when you're decent." Came Bradford's rather quick response.  
  
Elizabeth thought frantically as to what to do and then the thought flashed across her brain.  
  
"Quick Will! Hide in the bathroom!" Elizabeth whispered as she packed up the computer and shoved it into his arms.  
  
"What?" was Will's bewildered response, he was left complete darkness but Elizabeth didn't have time to explain.  
  
"It's ok Will I know this guy from work, I'll get rid of him soon just stay in the bathroom and don't make a sound," she whispered as she shoved him in the bath.  
  
"Whatever you say Elizabeth, or is it Lizzie?" Will asked puzzled.  
  
"Don't you start," Elizabeth said as she shut the door to the bathroom and ran to the front door and flung it open.  
  
"Bradford, what on earth are you doing at my apartment at this time of night?" Elizabeth said before he could let out a word.  
  
Bradford looked back at Elizabeth with a puzzling glance. "Firstly Elizabeth, it's nine o'clock in the morning, and secondly, you never met at the rendezvous last night and I was worried about you." The genuine look of concern in Bradford's eyes freaked Elizabeth out so she tried not to look at them.  
  
"That's really nice Bradford, I'm touched that you'd want to look out for me. But I'm fine, so you can go and let me get back to my day please." Elizabeth had hoped she'd said that nicely, but Bradford's presence was starting to worry and annoy her.  
  
What if he was in on the betrayal? Elizabeth doubted it because she didn't think he had that kind of cunning intelligence. However, Elizabeth did believe that in the event of Bradford finding out about her little cover up, it would take a great deal to keep his motor mouth shut, especially because he would stoop to any length to get back in the good books with the General.  
  
However Elizabeth was startled to see that Bradford's expression had gone from concern to defence. She almost cringed at the tone of professionalism in his voice.  
  
"I was not concerned about you Miss Cartwright," Elizabeth wondered what suddenly made him respect her last name, but shrugged the thought away. "But about the mission, I was able to bring Augustine into custody, along with his henchmen, but the device he was using seems to have disappeared. You, were obviously the likely person to have collected it, and the General and Miss Mackin request that you come in to work immediately." Bradford finished his demand and then looked down at Elizabeth in the most professional way she had ever seen him.  
  
Elizabeth almost panicked right then and there and only the hint that Bradford had said 'likely' kept her from confessing right there. She put on her best poker face, which resembled sort of a grimace and moved to stand toe to toe with the agent.  
  
"Unfortunately I was unable to attain said device," Elizabeth said lying through her teeth in what she hoped mimicked the professional tone Bradford had used. "I am ashamed to say that after the lights went out, I panicked and fled the scene, I failed." Elizabeth hung her head in mock shame; grateful for the Drama lessons she had been interested in as a kid.  
  
"You what?" Bradford said bewildered that Elizabeth could fail at such a simple task.  
  
"After the lights went out and you chased Augustine out of the theatre, the henchman started to wake up and I panicked, set off the flower bomb and left. I drove around a bit to try and calm down and then came straight home. I'm sorry, I told you I was no good at this confrontation thing, you can go and tell the General what a lousy agent I make." Elizabeth hoped that her pathetic portrayal was enough for Braford to fall for.  
  
"Sorry, Lizzie but the orders for you to come in this morning, didn't specify if you were successful or not, and my orders are to bring you in immediately, acting as your safeguard in case of trouble. Now let's move." That dashed any hopes of Elizabeth getting rid of him, she realized that she'd have to go in and leave Will here all day, but didn't know how she could relay the message without alarming him.  
  
Suddenly she had a brilliant idea. "Can you wait just a minute, Bradford, I have to e-mail a message to a friend, it's his birthday and I really want him to see this." She ran over to her computer and typed a quick message on her word processor, closing the window as Bradford came near.  
  
"You know sending messages over the Internet is dangerous, you never know who's listening in." he said as he tried to take a peak at her screen.  
  
"Only the greatest Pirate in the world would be able to get into my files," Elizabeth said loudly so that a listening Will would hear.  
  
"Pirate? Man you are obsessed." Bradford said as he stared at the blank screen. "Come on let's go lassie," Bradford said in a condescending tone.  
  
"A Pirate is a term for hacker, loser." Elizabeth said as she moved away from her computer, and toward the door.  
  
"Didn't you used to be a hack." But Elizabeth silenced him before he could finish his sentence and together they left her apartment.  
  
*****  
  
Will was shocked at what he had overheard, Elizabeth was a hacker, or in his terms a pirate. Could he trust her now? She had lied to him, what if she was still lying to him. The possibility that this could all be some sort of elaborate plot loomed in his mind. Will looked around the bathroom, and ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair, trying to make sense of it all. He spied the tiny bathtub, where Elizabeth had spent the night, working to try and help him. Inwardly he decided that he would have to trust her in order to repay the kindness she had shown him.  
  
Will waited until he was sure that Elizabeth and her co-worker Bradford? (He wasn't sure of the name), were gone and then slowly opened the door. The apartment was still and silent without its lively owner and Will walked threw it trying to regain control over his thoughts and emotions.  
  
He walked over to the computer where Elizabeth had mentioned the comment about Pirates, slightly annoyed that she had hinted that he would be a Pirate. He stared at the screen, looking for anything that might have been meant for him, and almost chuckled when he saw a small object named The Black Pearl. He manoeuvred the small machine attached to the computer, as he had seen Elizabeth, and was, after a few minutes and the discovery of 'double-clicking', able to look at what it said.  
  
Dear Will, I have to go into work for a while; don't worry judging by Bradford's ignorance your secret, well my secret, is still safe. I'll try to be home as quickly as possible but don't wander out! Remember you're famous in my time so you'll be noticed! If you want some fresh air you can go out on the balcony. There's food in the fridge if I'm not home by Lunch, just chill out and make yourself comfortable. Oh and if you want to shower or bathe, feel free, left knob is hot water, right knob is cold. Anyway see you later! Love, Elizabeth  
  
Love? Did she mean that? Or in her time was it a common greeting? He also did not understand the meaning of 'chill out' but decided that it meant that Elizabeth wished him to be comfortable.  
  
Comfortable was something Will was not, not at the moment. He thought back to the moments before when he had been very close to kissing Elizabeth. Standing there in front of her so close, he had felt something he had been denied when His Elizabeth had denied him. And he was sure, that if that opportunity had lingered a moment longer he had been fully prepared to take action and revel in it completely.  
  
But it was too fast. He felt as though he was betraying his own Elizabeth, the one whom in fact had betrayed him. He could still remember with perfect detail the moment when he had last seen her, walking away from him. He knew that he still loved her, still longed for her, but what did his feelings matter? She was engaged to a Commodore in the Royal British Navy, and he was a mere Blacksmith, the son of a cursed Pirate. He mattered nothing in her world, a world of law, order and lineage. But in this world, with this Elizabeth, he did matter, to her. Somehow, he could sense that she felt for him, much the same as he felt for His Elizabeth. He was awash in the new emotions overcoming him and felt that if he did not realize something soon he would drown in them.  
  
He decided the idea of a bath was refreshing and may work not only to clean him up and soothe his sore muscles, but may soothe his troubled head and heart as well. Blocking any further thoughts from his mind he made his way into the bathroom to unwind.  
*****  
  
Elizabeth had gone too far, and she knew it. She had the time to realize on the drive into work, that what had almost happened between her and Will, must never happen. His place was not with her; it was back in the movie with His Elizabeth. She'd just been caught up in the moment and it was understandable that she had tried to kiss him. And, considering she was going through a breakdown at the time, and the hottest guy in her world had tried to comfort her, what girl wouldn't want to take solace in his soft lips and Puppy Brown Eyes?  
  
Properly justified, Elizabeth returned to the task at hand and attempted to pay attention to the debriefing report General Grippa was giving both her and Bradford.  
  
"Ok, let me get this straight Miss Cartwright, you have no idea what has happened to the machine?" General Grippa could hardly believe the words as they escaped his lips, how could she have failed?  
  
"That is correct sir, as I told you before, I fled. I was unable to do that which you told me to, I'm sorry." Elizabeth hated to lie, but everything was different now, the faces that had once been friendly and kind to her, were now twisted by her distrust. Was the General aware of this betrayal? Was he the cause of it? Elizabeth couldn't read his face, but deep down she knew that for now she had to keep her secret.  
  
The funny thing was, a part of her didn't mind. A part of her was excited by the mystery and suspense of it all, and that frightened her. She had faced confrontation before, and it had ended badly, she didn't want the same kind of pain she had felt once, to be inflicted upon her again. And the last thing she wanted was for Will to get hurt.  
  
Elizabeth's reverie was interrupted as the General directed his speech at her again.  
  
"Miss Cartwright, though I am disappointed in your failure, I can not say that you did not warn us, when we gave you the job." Elizabeth felt the disappointment in the General's eyes stab into her like a knife. "Therefore, I am giving you the week off to recuperate from your no doubt trying experience, and expect that you will be into work next Monday."  
  
"Thank you General," Elizabeth said her heart breaking at his disappointment. "Perhaps in the future I will be prepared to handle these sorts of things more appropriately?" she said trying to redeem herself in his eyes just a little.  
  
"Perhaps Miss Cartwright, you are dismissed." The General said as he motioned for her to leave. Both her and Bradford started to stand but paused when the General's voice rang out again.  
  
"Bradford, did I say you could go?" Came the General's usual booming voice.  
  
"Umm. no sir?" was Bradford's shaky response.  
  
"Than sit DOWN!" The General boomed.  
  
"Right away sir!" came Braford's hurried response.  
  
Elizabeth didn't really feel like staying and witnessing Bradford's disparagement, so she left and started for the door. She was stopped however when Miss Mackin came around the corner and waved to her.  
  
"Elizabeth!" she called out. "I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. Are you alright?" she looked genuinely concerned and again Elizabeth's heart sank as she was forced to lie.  
  
"Yes I'm fine Miss Mackin, I guess I just panicked. I told you I wasn't the agent type. I'm sorry." Elizabeth couldn't bear to meet her trusting eyes.  
  
"It's me who should be sorry Elizabeth, I knew your history and still I pushed for you. I should have considered your feelings." Elizabeth thought she was finished, but was startled when her tone suddenly changed.  
  
"Bradford had mentioned that the machine was ready to fire, do you know perchance if it was able to?" Elizabeth was taken aback by the sudden curiosity in her voice.  
  
"Umm. I don't know, Augustine had mentioned that the timer was off so it is possible that the machine miscalculated and didn't fire at all." Elizabeth didn't like where this conversation was going, she had only made up excuses for so much. But fortune it seemed was smiling on her, as it seemed that the curiosity in Miss Mackin's eyes quickly dissipated.  
  
"Oh, well then," said Miss Mackin pasting on a smile. "Well I'd hate to waste anymore of your recuperation time, you go out there and enjoy that beautiful day."  
  
"Thank you Miss Mackin," Elizabeth said as she turned and walked toward the exit, relieved that she was finally able to get back to Will. Little did she know that the moment she walked out of the door, she was not alone.  
  
Elizabeth paced the aisles of Wal-Mart looking for a suitable change of clothes for Will, realizing that he had literally only the clothes on his back. She had been stopped however when she reached the underwear isle. Boxers or Briefs? The question that plagued the female brain had come to taunt her, and she was fully glad Will was back at the apartment so that he couldn't see her crimson face.  
  
For a full five minutes she stood there, and finally decided she'd be met half way and picked out a pair of black Boxer-Brief cross kind of things. She was completely out of her element and embarrassed out of her wits, but necessity called for her to be so and so there she was.  
  
Cautious and paranoid Elizabeth wandered over to the shortest check-out line she could find, holding, guys jeans (she hoped they were the right size) a bland no name shirt, a large sweater, socks and the dreaded underwear. She approached the check out counter as though a mob hit man were on her tail and placed the merchandise on the conveyer-belt as discreetly as possible. The female tiller gave her a strange 'what do you think you're going to do with those clothes' kind of look and Elizabeth tried vainly to think of an intelligent sounding explanation.  
  
"It's my brother's birthday and I promised I'd by him a full outfit," Elizabeth said as she handed the tiller her bankcard.  
  
"Great to see your fashion sense has no impact on your checking account." The girl sneered as she handed Elizabeth the bag.  
  
"I'll have a great day, thanks." Elizabeth said sarcastically as she grabbed the stuff and walked out the door, having too much on her mind to mumble a proper comeback.  
  
Elizabeth made her way to the door but was stopped by the headline in the paper. Quickly, she grabbed a coin from her pocket and ripped the paper out of its holder.  
  
Pirates to make final showing after Terrorist intrusion!  
The new Imax Cinema, which opened to the public last Tues. Is pulling Pirates of the Caribbean from its play list after uncovering intense legal  
issues. The theatre is reported to only be showing the blockbuster hit  
starring Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp once more before destroying the  
tape. In order to satisfy the complaints of fans that turned up to yesterday's showing only to be evacuated from the scene due to an untimely  
terrorist attack, the theatre has agreed to give one last showing.  
Spokespeople from Disney have refused to comment and when told, Orlando Bloom muttered, 'I'd hate to see the disappointment wrought on the fans' and claimed to make further inquiries. The last performance is scheduled for this Sat, all those who had tickets to the first session are encouraged  
to call 2845-5677 for further details.  
  
Elizabeth was shocked and frightened realizing that if she was unable to crack the puzzle within a week, all of her chances of getting Will safely home would go up in smoke. She stood there motionless for a moment staring down at the paper, still not realizing that a pair of puzzled and jealous eyes stared down at her.  
  
Stifling the part of her that said she didn't mind if Will was trapped in her world forever, Elizabeth walked out of the store and drove home as quickly as possible. Seeing as it was a nice day and she was still a little wound up Elizabeth decided to park in the alleyway adjacent to her building, instead of fighting for a spot in the front. It wasn't soon after that she realized the intense error of her ways as she saw a strange dark car pull in front of the alley and four large men get out and advance on her menacingly.  
  
"What'd you do with Augustine and the machine?" The largest one grunted. Elizabeth noticed in him the same gruff brutality of one of the henchman she had helped to take down last night.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Elizabeth yelled as the blood in her veins started to chill.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me girly," he said as he brandished a baseball bat and slammed it into her windshield. "I'm not the most patient person in the world."  
  
Elizabeth did the only thing she could think of, she let out a blood- curdling scream.  
  
*****  
  
Twenty-three floors above, Our Fine Hero, heard the call of his faithful damsel in distress. 


	6. Battle in Love

Author's note: Okay, here it is Battle for love, my most action packed chapter so far, and this one goes out to Captain Oblivious for ALWAYS REVIEWING!!!! Thank you for that, it always brings me great joy. Ok here it is!  
  
Will had finished his bath and dressed himself when he decided that the stuffy apartment needed some air. Sitting in the bath before, he found had not calmed his nerves but instead left him to stew over Elizabeth's sitting right where he sat for hours the previous night. Will couldn't help himself, every time he thought; it was of her. Her smile, her laugh, her strange sense of humour, and more and more he dreaded going back to his now empty and Elizabethless life in the Caribbean.  
  
As he opened the balcony door and felt the cool breeze play across his face and playfully blow about some clothes strung on a long line across the building gap, Will pondered the prospect of staying with This Elizabeth indefinitely. He pictured himself learning about this strange, new world with Elizabeth at his side and smiled slightly. He then almost kicked himself at his rashness; he did not belong here anymore than he belonged at home. He had no skills, other than those of a blacksmith and Pirate, and could barely understand the few rules of the strange world Elizabeth shown to him already. He was of no use to her; she didn't need him at all, and it was selfish of him to think otherwise.  
  
Suddenly Will's thoughtful silence was torn by a bone-chilling scream. Frantically he searched for the source and was terrified to see Elizabeth three stories below running from several brutish looking men brandishing fiendish looking weapons. His mind was nothing but panic as he tried to find a way down as quickly as possible. He watched as Elizabeth was chased into a corner and ripped off her feet from behind. He had to act now!  
  
Suddenly he looked up and made the connection absent from his mind before. Unsheathing his sword without any further hesitation he grabbed onto the clothesline strung between the two buildings. Wrapping the lose line around his arm and praying that it was long enough to take him safely to the other side Will stood on the balcony railing and took a leap of faith.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth started to run, screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so. She hoped that she was making enough noise so that someone would hear, but realized that being in a big city meant that screaming and running were circumstances barely given recognition. Running through her mind in slow motion as if to taunt her was any and every self-defence move that she had ever been taught. She weighed the possibility of turning and making a stand, but remembered the weapon in one of the thugs hands, and quickened her pace.  
  
Ahead of her, the end off the alleyway loomed. Elizabeth looked behind her briefly and knew that only a miracle would bring her out of this alive, she tried to scream but was cut off as the largest man caught her in a crushing squeeze and wrenched her off her feet. She was completely breathless and terrified, she probably would have fallen to the ground in defeat had the man not been suspending her in his grip. She watched helplessly as the one with the baseball bat sauntered up menacingly.  
  
"Now," he said with an evil grin. "Are you going to tell me how to find Augustine, or are you going to experience what life is like with permanently disfigured knee caps." He wound up his arms and held his bat above his head.  
  
Elizabeth, while terrified, knew that they wouldn't spare her, even if she gave them the information, so brought composure to her face, squared her shoulders and looked the large thug straight in the eye.  
  
"Bring it on." She said with a steely determination in her eyes and the fires of love burning in her heart. "I'm not afraid of you." Elizabeth said fighting back tears.  
  
The thug's gaze turned from evilly playful to cold and monstrous. The henchman's mouth turned to a sneer and he started to bring the bat down fast.  
  
"Why you little." The thugs sentence was cut off however as the hilt of a flying sword smashed into the back of his head. The blow directed for Elizabeth's precious kneecaps flew wide and smashed into her arm, dislocating it from her shoulder, but knocking out the thug on her right in the process. Elizabeth started to let out a scream of pain, but silenced as the voice of Will Turner rang through the air with a fervour that only a passionate lover could relate to.  
  
"If I were you," he said as all eyes in the alleyway turned to see Our Fine Hero silhouetted against sun like a golden Adonis, standing on a fire- escape one story up. "I would leave this place, and that woman alone." He grabbed what looked like Elizabeth's clothesline and swung down to the alleyway floor with a grace that only a Pirate could muster.  
  
"If I were you!" One of the henchmen on Elizabeth's left said as he grabbed Elizabeth around the neck and pulled out a pocketknife, brandishing it fiendishly. "I wouldn't move, or else you might want to say good bye to your girlfriend here."  
  
"Elizabeth!" Will said in absolute panic.  
  
"Don't MOVE!" the henchman said.  
  
Elizabeth's mind was racing, because it was less than twenty-four hours since this had last happened to her and Will, except this time there was no gadgets to save them. She momentarily marvelled at how her previously quiet and reserved life had now been filled with danger and excitement. While she liked some parts of it, (the Pirate defending her now being the main bit) she defiantly was not coping so well with the whole life threatening routine.  
  
In fact, she was getting kind of tired of it. Using a defensive technique she had seen only once in a Jackie Chan movie, and summoning all of the annoyance she felt at having this oaf of a henchman threaten her, Elizabeth let herself go limp and let her bodyweight do the work. She thanked the martial arts master as she was able to shift the troll off balance enough to squirm away and run toward Will.  
  
"Elizabeth!" Will cried in disbelief as she ran into his waiting arms.  
  
"I think we'll save the reunion for later, evil minion number three is still advancing on us," Elizabeth said as she looked back and saw the, now furious henchman barrelling down on them.  
  
"Leave him to me," Will said as he pushed Elizabeth aside gently and stood to face the train head-on.  
  
Elizabeth watched and her breath caught in her chest as she saw Will fight with the large henchman. He was calm and cool, as opposed to the brute who was blind with rage. He side stepped the first charge and countered with an elbow to the back of the brute's neck sending him to the ground. The henchman regained composure quickly and swung at Will again. Will weaved and came up with a sharp jab to the face. The Brute wheeled and spun, his rage increasing. He lunged at Will but was again thwarted as Will spun aside and picked up his sword.  
  
The Brute took one look at the shiny, long, sharp, menacing blade and decided to go back to plan A, threatening Elizabeth. He did about the stupidest thing his tiny brain could think of and grabbed her dislocated arm causing her to scream as a mind numbing pain shot through her body. Will was furious. The henchman laughed cruelly as he twisted the sore arm and caused Elizabeth to scream out against her will once more.  
  
"Now isn't this fun," the henchman said with glee as he pulled Elizabeth close, screwing her arm out of place at the same time. She almost screamed again, but didn't want to give him the satisfaction so bit her lip instead.  
  
"Let her go!" Will said with a fierce determination, but Elizabeth could see fear in his eyes.  
  
"I don't think so, see you wouldn't want to cause her any.PAIN," he said as he emphasized his point by giving her arm a cruel twist. "Would you?" He smiled evilly at Will and started to back toward his car, twisting her arm the whole way.  
  
Elizabeth almost wretched with the pain but kept her watery eyes screwed tightly shut and her mouth closed, despite her tasting blood from her lip because she was biting so hard. She was determined to not give the brute the satisfaction of another scream. She opened her eyes briefly to see a look of pain in Will's face that she swore could have rivalled hers.  
  
"Now unless you want your girlfriend's arm to be mailed back to you in a box," the brute said as they reached a car and paused to take out the keys. "I suggest you tell me where to find the computer and Augustine." He said as he dug through his bag.  
  
Elizabeth looked at Will frantically, knowing that he would cave eventually in order to spare her. She was shocked however to find a look of triumph on his face instead of a worried one. They locked gazes and she smiled as she realized that he had a plan and was close to implementing it. His eyes motioned up and she followed to find a clay planter positioned on a windowsill directly above the henchman's head. She almost screamed again, but this time out of delight. Noticing that the henchman had resurfaced from his bag once more, she dawned the act of fear and pain (which wasn't hard seeing as he still held her dislocated arm) and whimpered slightly.  
  
"Wait!" Will said in feigned defeat.  
  
"What?" The henchman said gleefully.  
  
"What on earth is that?" Will screamed as he pointed to the windowsill.  
  
"What?" The henchman said as he looked up to face his doom.  
  
Will wasted no time and threw his sword at the sill causing the hilt to jar it and send the heavy pot tumbling down. Elizabeth covered her head with her free arm as dirt and flowers flew down from above, landing right on target. The clay pot came down with a smash and the henchman toppled like a rag doll, unfortunately bringing Elizabeth down with him. She let out the pent up scream she had held inside and let it reverberate throughout the rooftops. A short distance away, the pair of jealous eyes heard and came rushing to her aid.  
  
However, Will was there first. He was by Elizabeth's side as soon as the dust settled, helping her to her feet and coddling her like a baby.  
  
"Are you alright?" he said in almost the hushed tone he used in the movie. He stood pushing the hair out of her face and stroking her check tenderly.  
  
Elizabeth nearly fainted again but was able to refocus her mind, reminding herself that Will did not belong to her, that he would never belong to her.  
  
"I'm fine Will, I just need to get inside," she said as she smiled at him, and then forcibly broke contact.  
  
"I'm sorry Elizabeth, this is all my fault, you would have been better off to leave me where you found me." He said casting his eyes downward, ashamed of his existence.  
  
Elizabeth couldn't believe he was doing the whole chivalrous thing again but she couldn't take much more of it. She had to be strong even if he wasn't. She paused and turned to look into his eyes.  
  
"Will do not for one minute blame this on yourself, these guys need to be stopped, regardless of who stops them. And I'm glad that when I was in trouble, it was you who came to my rescue." She looked into his eyes and felt herself slipping into his sorrowful gaze, she wanted him, needed him, but knew he could never be hers. She broke the gaze and started to turn away, but Will stopped her. He grabbed her good arm and whirled her around to face him.  
  
"How can you have so much faith in me?" he asked in a hushed voice, his head drawing ever closer.  
  
"We can't discuss this now Will, we need to get back inside." Elizabeth was losing control, every fibre of her wanted to grab Will, kiss him and never let him go, but that wasn't what he needed. He needed to be returned to his home, to his true love, not his rebound girl.  
  
"I know there's something you want to tell me, why can't you just let it out?" He asked in that hushed tone.  
  
Elizabeth couldn't take it any longer, giving in she leaned in to Will's soft face, and was tackled to the ground by a pair of jealous eyes which had finally decided to take action.  
  
She screamed in a combination of both pain and anger as her and Will were sent flying to the ground. The attacker at this point was concentrating many on Will so left Elizabeth to get up herself. She was majorly ticked off, not only because of the searing pain in her dislocated arm, but because she had been millimetres away from achieving her impossible dream. A part of her was grateful she and Will had been stopped before regrets were created but it was momentarily shoved aside as she prepared to fend off yet another attacker. Suddenly she heard a whiny annoying voice ringing through the air that made her blood boil.  
  
"What are you doing with Lizzie!?" Bradford's voice reverberated through the alleyway.  
  
Elizabeth was furious, screwing up all the anger inside of her she ran up to Will and Braford who were still scrapping on the ground and kicked them apart furiously.  
  
"Bradford Shanigan what the heck do you think you're doing!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.  
  
Bradford and Will both froze and then both started talking rapidly at once.  
  
"He was attacking you!" both cried in unison.  
  
They both looked at each other and double taked.  
  
"YOU were attacking her not me!" yelled Bradford.  
  
"YOU were the one who attacked both of us!" yelled Will.  
  
"Why I oughta!" And Bradford and Will started yelling at each other and fighting again.  
  
Elizabeth's mind was spinning wildly out of control with all that had been going on. Bradford had interrupted her for the last time.  
  
"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Elizabeth yelled at the some point beyond the top of her lungs, causing the air around her to almost sizzle and fry.  
  
Both Will and Braford stopped again but were cut off before they could say anything.  
  
"I have been threatened, beaten, chased and just when I think I'm gonna get a little peace and quiet, tackled from out of the blue by someone who is supposed to be an ally! I have an arm, which is as we speak sending such mind tearing pain throughout my body that I can barely stand and YOU TWO have the brainless testosterone driven idea that it would be OK to start a Royal Rumble out in the alleyway in broad daylight! Both of you get up to my apartment NOW!!!!"  
  
Both Braford and Will had never experienced such fury from Elizabeth and certainly did not want any more of it. Both gathered up all of their spilt effects and started out of the alleyway.  
  
"One more thing." Elizabeth said from behind as all the previous energy in her drained away.  
  
Both Will and Bradford turned sheepishly around to look at the furious women whose expression was now curiously calm, almost deadpan.  
  
"Somebody catch." but passed out from pain and exhaustion before she could finish her sentence. 


	7. Rivalry

Author's note: Thank you soooooo much for all of your reviews! I absolutely love feedback! It makes me feel so wonderful. I know that I don't update very often but it's not because I don't like all your marvellous feedback prompting me to update, it's cause I've been trying to write more! But never fear this week I am caving into your demands and posting two, yes TWO chapters! One today and one tomorrow. Oh and the following response is to Kimmy whom I can't reply to via e-mail.  
  
Thank you Kimmy G, I really enjoy feedback and rest assured I will post more soon! In order to upload your document try saving it as a .doc document, like my first chapter was called Introductions.doc and then it worked when I uploaded the chapter, I don't know I'm on a mac most of the time so it may be a little different. You may want to ask fanfiction.net directly, they will probably know how to help you further. Oh and when you do post your story tell me where to find it so that I can read yours! thanks for the comments!  
*****  
  
Will caught Elizabeth before she could hit the ground but was balked as Bradford came up from behind and grabbed her listless body from his hands,  
  
"Don't you touch her!" said Bradford with a maturity that Will had not expected in such a childish man. "Hey haven't I seen you before?"  
  
Will realized that this man still hadn't figured out who he was and so tried to keep it that way by changing the subject. "I am not the one who thought it would be appropriate to assault my friend in a deserted alleyway, especially since she seems to have injured her arm." Will disliked Bradford from the moment he saw him, but Elizabeth said to get into the apartment, so Will would go along with him for a while.  
  
"Yeah well, what would you do if you'd left your assignment alone for one minute only to return and find her being held captive by a strange man in Pirate clothes after hearing a blood curdling scream," Bradford mumbled under his breath as they rounded the corner and headed toward the building.  
  
"Hey I'm not a Pirate I'm a blac.!" Will cut himself off before Bradford could notice his slip and quickly moved to change the subject. Than the meaning of Bradford's statement sunk in. "Your assignment?"  
  
Bradford suddenly looked uncomfortable and glanced around sheepishly getting out a pair of keys. "Hey we should get inside before anyone notices that were carrying an unconscious women into a strange apartment building hey?" And before Will could protest Bradford was dragging Elizabeth and Will attached through the door and into the lobby.  
  
"Hey how did you get keys to Elizabeth's apartment building?" Will asked as he followed Bradford to a small room in the back.  
  
"Umm it's a long story," Bradford said as a set of doors whooshed close behind Will, startling him immensely.  
  
"Chill out man, you act as though you've never been in an elevator before." Will decided it would be best to not let anything startle him lest he blow Elizabeth's secret.  
  
"Sorry I'm still a little wound up over being attacked by four strangers in an alleyway." Will said plainly.  
  
"Four! Who were the other three?" Bradford said as the doors whooshed open once more.  
  
"It's a long story, come inside and I'll tell you the details," Will said as he stepped out into the hallway by Elizabeth's apartment, secretly amazed that he had been transported there so quickly. The wonders that this world had created!  
  
Bradford moved to Elizabeth's door and took out another key; much to the surprise of Will who was sizing up some was to break off the door handle.  
  
"Excuse me, how did you," Will started.  
  
"You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," Bradford finished as he got Will to swing the door open and lead them inside.  
  
Once they entered the apartment Bradford took the still unconscious form of Elizabeth and placed her on the bed gingerly.  
  
"So what happened to her?" Bradford said with disgust as he started to examine Elizabeth's arm, and throwing Will a look that gave him the impression this was all his fault.  
  
"She was attacked in the alleyway and I was staying up here and saw her. I came to her rescue and we were about to return here when you came out of nowhere." Will sat on the bed beside Elizabeth and took her good hand, stroking it lovingly. Bradford would have none of it and snatched the arm away.  
  
"I meant what happened to her arm." He said in a patronizing tone.  
  
"Oh of course, she was being held captive and they swung a large club into her upper arm, she said something about it being dislocated." He looked down in shame at his failure to protect her from harm, the one thing he was suited for and he couldn't even do it correctly. Bradford's sarcasm wasn't helping.  
  
"Where were you on that one," Bradford mumbled under his breath, knowing full well that Will could hear.  
  
"I'll have you know that they would have shattered her knee caps if I hadn't been there," Will tried to defend himself, but wound up sounding pretty pathetic.  
  
"Yeah you're just lucky there's no permanent damage, now hold her down while I set her arm." Bradford grabbed Elizabeth's shoulder and started to twist.  
  
"What?" Will said as he quickly tried to stop Bradford from wrenching Elizabeth's arm out of her socket.  
  
"You dolt!" cried an enraged Bradford. "Do you want me to break her arm?"  
  
"It looks like your accomplishing that task easily by yourself!" Will cried in disbelief.  
  
"Look I'm trained medically, so you can either sit back and watch me do this and risk Elizabeth thrashing around and doing more damage, or you can help me out by holding her down while I do this." Bradford turned from Will and went back to the shoulder.  
  
"Alright what do I do," Will said as he moved over to Elizabeth and sat down on the bed.  
  
"Grab her other shoulder and make sure she can't squirm around," Bradford was concentrating now and Will cringed as he heard moving bone inside of Elizabeth. He felt resistance as she started to regain consciousness and was almost thrown off the bed as a loud crack sliced through the air and Elizabeth bolted upright in bed.  
  
"aihfeinfiaitifirahtoihck!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She babbled incoherently as she screamed out in pain.  
  
"Elizabeth! What have you done to her?" Will cried as he lunged for Bradford.  
  
"She's fine," Bradford called. "That's just the mother load of pain going through her arm right now. Hey weren't you supposed to be restraining her?"  
  
Will realized that he had left incoherent Elizabeth back babbling on the bed and quickly rushed to her side. "Elizabeth are you alright?" He called to her.  
  
"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow,!!!!!!!!!!" Elizabeth yelled to herself.  
  
"Elizabeth look at me!" Will started to panic like he had when she had been babbling before. He contemplated grabbing her face again, but didn't know how Bradford would take it.  
  
However, Bradford had different plans and quickly pulled a tiny syringe out of his pocket. Will took one look at it and threw himself across Elizabeth acting as a human shield. "What is that?"  
  
"Relax, it's s tiny sedative, it'll calm her right down, just try and pry your iron grip off her for a second, I think you're hurting her." Bradford was calm as if the mad house surrounding him was perfectly normal.  
  
"Absolutely not! I don't trust you!" Will was adamant in his protection of Elizabeth who was still cradling her hurt arm, locked in the stifling grip of shock.  
  
"Look, you're going to have to if you want her to get better so just move aside," Bradford said the tension in his voice rising.  
  
"You will not come near her while brandishing that thing," Will said, his face deadest.  
  
"Then I'll just use it on you first!" Bradford said as he lunged at Will with the syringe.  
  
Will dodged quickly but failed to hold his position over Elizabeth allowing Bradford to hit his real target, sending the syringe straight into her damaged arm.  
  
"Elizabeth!" Will said, realising he had been tricked.  
  
"Thanks for letting me through," Bradford chuckled as he threw the empty syringe into a bin beside the bed.  
  
"How dare you!" Will said as he tackled Bradford, sending him flying off the bed and onto the ground below. The two of them began beating each other, punching here and head-butting there. Only the sharp voice from above could stop them.  
  
"How many times have I told you Will Turner," Elizabeth said sharply.  
  
Both Bradford and Will stopped suddenly and looked up at Elizabeth who had suddenly burst upright on the bed with a crazed expression on her face.  
  
"Elizabeth, I..." Will began.  
  
"Play nicely with the other boys," She said as her face went slack and she crumbled back on the bed, breathing softly as if in a deep sleep.  
  
"Elizabeth?" Will said, puzzlement washing over him, as he stood and moved beside her.  
  
"She'll be awake in an hour or so Will, I've used that stuff before, it's pretty mild, and besides..." Bradford's face screwed up in puzzlement and then dawned with a sudden realization. "You're that guy from the MOVIE!"  
  
Will realised that Elizabeth had just blown his cover involuntarily, and scrambled to make up any excuse.  
  
"No I'm not, I'm her second cousin's Aunt's nephew, twice removed... I'm just visiting, really!" Will tried to look innocent but wound up looking idiotic.  
  
"You came out of the screen when that laser thingy fired!" Bradford was making fast connections now, his mind swimming with realization.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Will said pathetically but indignantly.  
  
"Yeah you do, you look just like him, and you're dressed like a Pirate!" Bradford advanced on Will menacingly.  
  
"I'm not a Pirate, I'm a Blacksmith!" Will yelled, and then balked, realizing he'd just confirmed Braford's suspicion.  
  
"Ah HA!" cried Bradford triumphantly, then, he realized something and fell back into a chair. "Why didn't Elizabeth tell me?"  
  
Will tried to read the puzzled look on Bradford's face but was lost to the emotion present there. "She probably thought you'd be in danger like her," he said trying to offer comfort, and keep him stable at the same time.  
  
He failed and Bradford rose quickly and sharply, pulling out a mobile phone as he did so.  
  
"Yeah, concern for me, that'll be the day. You made her do it!" Will was struck by this accusation and tried to deny it but was interrupted before he could even start.  
  
"She's been obsessed with you forever, watching that movie over and over. There's no way she could stand against you! She'd buy anything you said. You probably planned this from the start, as a way of fulfilling your twisted fantasies, just cause you can't get your own girl; you're trying to steal mine. Yeah, well you're going right back to that movie buddy, as soon as we find that laser thingy you can kiss your piratey butt good bye." Bradford was highly irrational, but managed to dial the phone anyway.  
  
"Yeah, get me the General, yeah I'll hol..." But Bradford was cut off as Will's folded steel pressed against his throat. Bradford's eyes widened and a look of sheer hatred crossed his face, daring Will to move an inch closer.  
  
"Rest assured Bradford, that I do not wish to kill you, but will send your head rolling across the floor swiftly if you do not cease your attempt to relay a message right now." Will held his sword firmly and calmly as Bradford's expression became fiercer.  
  
"You wouldn't dare." Bradford said as he listened to the soft rock on the other side of the phone line, wishing the General to pick up.  
  
"If I'm the crazed Pirate you say I am, I'd be quite willing to do away with you don't you think?" Will put on a Jack Sparrow impression and tried to look crazy, it worked.  
  
"I knew it!" Bradford said as he started to jump but was quickly stopped by the increasing pressure of Will's blade.  
  
Suddenly the line cleared and the General came on the other end.  
  
"General!" Braford said quickly, but changed his mind as he saw Will prepare to drive a sword into his neck. "Everything's fine, just wanted to check up!" And then quickly hung up before Will could slice off his head.  
  
"There! You happy?" Bradford asked as he backed away slowly. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."  
  
"It's that General you shouldn't be trusting, sit down and listen to me." Will said, his patience for Bradford's stupidity waning.  
  
"Why should I?...Or...shouldn't I." Bradford said as he tried to work out what he wanted to say. He quickly gave up and went back to accusations. "So you can fill my head with the same trumped up stories you probably told Elizabeth?" Bradford said defiantly.  
  
"It wasn't a request, it was a command," Will commanded as he brandished his sword again.  
  
"Right then," said Bradford as he took a seat.  
  
"I'm not trying to fill your head with 'trumped up stories' as you call them. I'm trying to go home and Elizabeth was helping me, before she was attacked by Augustine's goons and then you." Will explained as plainly as he could.  
  
"But why would Augustine's goons attack her if they have the laser thing?"  
  
"Because we have the laser thing," Will said as he went to the bathroom and brought out the computer.  
  
"That's impossible, Elizabeth would have told someone, she would have turned it in. She wouldn't go down that path again." Will was intrigued by 'again' but moved the conversation forward anyway.  
  
"She would if she thought she would be betrayed," Will said as he took off the still unscrewed cover plate on the back and handed it to Bradford. Will watched as Bradford read it and the look of shock registered on his face.  
  
"But this can't be! They would never do this, they're the good guys!" Bradford yelled incredulously.  
  
"Not all of them it would seem" said Will soberly as he sat down on the bed next to Elizabeth and watched her sleeping gently.  
  
Bradford took one look at the situation and decided he didn't like it. "Hey! Don't you have a different girlfriend already?" Bradford questioned.  
  
Will's mind was momentarily distracted and focused back on His Elizabeth. Waves of melancholy washed over him as he thought of her and he went into a reverie, dropping Elizabeth Cartwright's hand, much to Bradford's delight.  
  
"She left me," Will said sadly.  
  
"Oh, that's probably why Elizabeth likes your movie so much, you wind up single in the end." Bradford said innocently hinting at Elizabeth's obsession with Will.  
  
"What?" Will didn't understand the meaning of Bradford's innuendo.  
  
"She's completely obsessed with you, she probably thinks your her little fantasy boy," Bradford was throwing tact aside in hopes of discrediting Elizabeth enough to curb Will's affection toward her. He didn't deserve her he was a Pirate!  
  
"She certainly does not act like your accusations," Will said a tad disappointed, he wouldn't mind doting on Elizabeth, putting an innocent perspective on Bradford's otherwise crude insinuation.  
  
Bradford was shocked by Will's acceptance of his lies; he was a rouge! So he changed his opinion, deciding he would give Will everything he DIDN'T want to hear. "That's cause she's probably bored with you."  
  
"You think I'm boring?" Will said visibly hurt.  
  
Bradford almost cheered when he found Will's weakness. "Absolutely, I mean, no offence, I'm sure you're very happening in the seventeen hundreds, but Elizabeth is a real twenty-first century girl." He was lying through his teeth, but Bradford was willing to compromise his integrity if it meant keeping a certain dashing pirate/blacksmith away from His Elizabeth.  
  
Will, sweet, innocent Will, bought every lick of Bradford's deceitful story and retreated further into his melancholy. Only the tiny thought in the back of his mind kept him from retreating into full brood mode.  
  
"Before, you said Elizabeth wouldn't go into something 'again' what did you mean?" Despite her obvious rejection of him, Elizabeth had been kind to Will, and he would try his best to protect her. That meant he needed to know about her past, as well as present.  
  
*****  
  
Now, it was Bradford's turn to feel melancholic.  
  
"I meant I thought she would never go back to hacking again." Bradford suddenly became engrossed in the past and barely heard Will's next question.  
  
"So Elizabeth was a Pirate... or hacker." Will said, realizing that, of course he would seem boring to an ex-pirate.  
  
"Yes, and a good one," Bradford said reliving his first memories of Elizabeth.  
  
"But she got in over her head and wanted out, so she called us." Bradford stared at Elizabeth as if trying to apologize for some wrong deed.  
  
"What happened?" Asked Will.  
  
"Two agents were assigned to protect her before she went to trial, but she was worried about her parents, you see they didn't know about her 'outside college funding' and she didn't want them to, so two ghosts were assigned to protect them."  
  
"Ghosts?" Will said, picturing an undead pirate.  
  
"Invisible Ops, special division. They're not supposed to exist, no one is to know who they are, or where they go, absolute secrecy. But one of them was a rookie, and his pride got the better of him, he messed up and her parents paid the price." Bradford hung his head in shame.  
  
"They were killed?" Will guessed.  
  
"Yes, but not before being paraded in front of Elizabeth."  
  
"How did this happen? I mean if these guys were supposed to be the best?" Will couldn't understand why Bradford had suddenly opened up.  
  
"Betrayal, miss-information, stupidity mostly. Elizabeth was told to finish the project or her parents would be killed, Elizabeth thought she had the backing of the Ghosts and so confronted the Thugs outright, but a Ghost was betrayed and given wrong directions. He arrived too late, after Elizabeth's parents had been strangled as she watched helplessly. He shot at the Thugs but the ringleader was able to escape. The Ghost still had to remain invisible so just left her there alone until back up could come. It took years of therapy to cure Elizabeth of the experience and she still has a problem with direct confrontation." Bradford hung his head in utter shame, realizing that he had failed Elizabeth yet again, that he had willingly sabotaged her relationship with this strange pirate guy and again realized that he had caused her pain.  
  
Will realized why Bradford had opened up. "You were the Ghost weren't you?" Will said, understanding the depth of Bradford's concern for Elizabeth.  
  
"Yes, and I was demoted for my stupidity, it was rightly deserved. So now, I tackle smaller assignments and guard Elizabeth, which was how I came to interrupt you two in the alley." Bradford looked at Will his hatred of him decreasing slightly, or in the least, his care of Elizabeth, softening his blinding rage and jealousy slightly.  
  
"Well, we're one the same side Bradford, we're both just protecting Elizabeth." Will said.  
  
Bradford was about to confess about his earlier accusations against Will, he realised that Will cared for Elizabeth and that she deserved a cool dashing Pirate like him. However, before he could speak, Elizabeth stirred and started to struggle. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Don't!" She cried to no one in particular.  
  
"Elizabeth!" Will said as he took her hand once more.  
  
"Don't let the flower get me," she said groggily as she tried to sit up.  
  
Will gave Elizabeth a strange, almost Jackish look but kept her hand in his as he guided her gently back down to the bed, smiling warmly.  
  
Bradford decided to leave before he could cause any more trouble. "Look, if I don't report back, the General is going to get suspicious so I'd better go." He rose and took one last look at Elizabeth before heading out the door. Will was entirely focused on Elizabeth who was now drifting contently back to sleep.  
  
"Take good care of her Will," He said as he opened the door, realising that he was nowhere near comparable to the dashing Will Turner. "Call me if you need me."  
  
Author's note. again: I don't know about that chapter, Bradford is such a weird character to write! And Will somehow seemed less Willish in this chapter, am I crazy? Tell me what you think! 


	8. Dreams and Awakenings

Author's note: I'm sooo sorry I haven't posted in eons but my computer's been gone! Ok so I've added an important bit to this chapter so you can review this one and go on to the next! Again I'm sorry!  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth' s dream was weird. She was in a large meadow and the wind was sweeping through the grass around her. It was calm and peaceful, like being at home but at the same time, there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of Elizabeth's stomach that refused to go away. She ignored it as best she could and began to walk through the strange meadow, toward a destination she could feel more than see. She found it odd, when she walked in one direction she felt warm, and content, like someone was hugging or holding her, but when she turned the other way her heart wrenched and she felt as though she was walking through a refrigerator. It freaked her out so she tried her best to keep the warm fuzzy feeling in front of her and was pleased that it continued to grow with every step she took. As she followed the warm feeling she could feel her confidence grow, almost as if, with this presence she could accomplish anything. She quickened her pace, the end of the meadow and her goal swiftly coming into view.  
  
Suddenly she came to a stop and the uneasy feeling dwindling before, tripled in size. She looked around trying to identify the source, scared but annoyed at the same time because it kept her from her goal. She looked down at her feet and spied a tiny flower; it looked familiar; almost like it was someone she knew. It was small and petite in the grass, and it looked so beautiful that Elizabeth decided there would be no harm taking a closer look. She reached down to pick the flower up, the feeling of familiarity replacing the warm fuzzy feeling momentarily.  
  
She froze as she touched it. Thick tentacles came from the plant, each wrapping around her and starting to squeeze. Elizabeth started to panic, the warm fuzzy feeling slipping from her grasp, the horizon, which was approaching so quickly before, retreating into the distance, the figure that stood there retreating with it.  
  
Elizabeth struggled as hard as she could, but the tentacles were squeezing with a strength she couldn't defend against. She tried to call out but failed to draw in a breath. She struggled and thrashed but her movements were restricted because of the crushing weight. Summoning all the strength she had she desperately called out to the figure in the distance.  
  
"Don't! Don't let the flowers get me!" Elizabeth awoke suddenly and tried to sit up but the sedation of Bradford's drug was still taking effect.  
  
Her movements, which she thought had been restricted because of the plant, were slow and sluggish because of the drugs and her mind was reacting the same way. The funny thing was, that warm and fuzzy feeling returned stronger than ever as she saw Will sitting over her, moving her gently back to the bed. She smiled at him and sighed contently as she drifted back into a now dreamless, and flower free sleep.  
  
*****  
  
Will looked at Elizabeth as she settled back down to sleep and heard the door slam behind him. He looked up to see an otherwise empty apartment, but then remembered that Bradford had been talking to him and figured that he was just saying his goodbye.  
  
Will looked at Elizabeth again and sighed inwardly, he had been so foolish to think that she could care for him, when he belonged nowhere in her world. He had been foolish to dream that such an interesting and imaginative person could find him anything but boring. He would respect her wishes and stay by her side, but he would withdraw his interest in her, until further notice at least.  
  
But for now, Will was restless, the fight had done something to relieve his pent up energy, but he still had a lot of tension and so decided to practise his fencing while Elizabeth slept. As quietly as he could, he pushed the minimal furniture within the apartment aside and withdrew his sword. Clearing his mind (while difficult because he was constantly distracted by Elizabeth's every move) he focused only on the sword and his target. His target used to be a Pirate; in light of recent events, he felt it inappropriate. Will thought momentarily and then decided on his enemy.  
  
The sun was fierce and high in the sapphire sky of the Caribbean. The sand was searing under Will's bare feet, and the sweat collecting on his brow threatened to drip into his eyes but he wiped it away before it could. Before him his enemy stood, tall and firm as years of genetic predispositioning had taught him, with a smug smile of victory pasted on his face. That arrogant smile, which taunted Will's position and lineage, forged a hatred and rage that Will had seldom felt before, and the sword in his hand itched to be put into action.  
  
But hatred and rage were not welcomed in the fencer's mind, those emotion's clouded the precise judgement needed to study an opponent objectively. And if Will didn't know his opponent, he would never be able to out think that smug smile long enough to secure a fair and vengeful victory. So Will retrained his mind and focused only on the environment around him, the gentle breeze and the soft lapping of waves against the sand.  
  
Suddenly the peaceful tranquillity of the beach was disturbed as Will's enemy lunged forward. But Will, trained, noticed the disturbance immediately and easily countered the enemy's blow.  
  
"Well done, Mr. Turner, I half expected to take you down with the first blow," the smug smile said.  
  
"You'll find, Commodore, that what you expect is seldom what you will receive," Came Will's retort as he lunged at the Commodore playfully, testing his footing in the soft sand.  
  
"Not so, Mr. Turner, I fully expected to win fair Elizabeth's hand, and so I have." The rage, which doubled after hearing the smug comment, caused Will to judge the Commodore's next attack falsely and as a result, led to a slash, long and shallow in his left arm. He would have to defend that side more diligently.  
  
"Tut, Tut Mr. Turner, jealousy does not become a swordsman handsomely. If you truly cared for Miss Swann you would be happy for our love, and move aside like a gentleman, I know I would." The Commodore moved to strike again and a high- pitched giggling could be heard in the background.  
  
"Miss Swann does not love you of that I am sure." Will's confidence allowed him to regain composure and defend, even score a cut across, the Commodore's sword hand.  
  
The Commodore, too much the gentleman to curse, turned instead toward blatant insult. "Miss Swann, is woman enough to chose a good accord when she sees one, and I sir, am a good accord, unlike the orphaned son of a pirate."  
  
Will was furious, he scrambled across the loose sand, determined to drive the sword through the Commodore's heart (though Will doubted it was even there) but the Commodore moved aside easily and moved to take his own action. He brought the sword down swiftly, aiming for Will's neck, but Will, despite his rage, was able to pull himself together long enough to see the attack and dive into the safety of the sand. He rolled to the side and jumped up again to take action, hearing the Commodore's high-pitched giggling in the background suddenly cease. With horror Will watched, as the face changed from the Commodore's to Bradford's his rage increasing even more.  
  
"Do not mock my pain!" Will said, as he stood firm and confident in the sand. "I will prove myself to you, and to Elizabeth."  
  
Suddenly a female voice issued from the Bradford's mouth, and Will was taken out of his training reverie by a sad and serious comment.  
  
"Don't you know Will Turner," Elizabeth Cartwright said as she rose from the bed and moved back to the computer. "You've proved yourself to her a thousand times over."  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth woke up with a skull-splitting headache, but was relieved to feel that the blinding pain in her arm had been replaced with a slow, dull throbbing. Her largest concern was Will and Bradford in her living room, quite possibly killing each other. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around to witness whatever testosterone driven brawl lay before her and was surprised to see Will standing by himself in the centre of the apartment (which looked notably more spacious than before) with his sword out and brandished. Elizabeth's first thought was that Will had become frustrated with Bradford and pulled out his sword to solve the problem, in a permanent sense, and she almost leapt to her feet, before realizing that there was minimal signs of a struggle and that Will was murmuring to himself quietly.  
  
"You'll find, Commodore, that what you expect is seldom what you will receive," he murmured as he slashed at an imaginary three point target in the air.  
  
Elizabeth suddenly realised that Will was training, and in the process having and imaginary conversation with himself. She tried not to snicker, but Will Turner, prancing around her living with his eyes closed, having a conversation with the Commodore, was kind of amusing. Somehow Elizabeth figured she had upset Will, because his face became screwed up with rage and his voice became sharp in tone.  
  
"Miss Swann does not love you of that I am sure." And Elizabeth realised what Will was actually doing, working out the inadequacy he felt over losing His Elizabeth. She stopped laughing and looked down at her frumpy clothes, feeling overly inadequate and incomparable to a beauty like Elizabeth Swann.  
  
"Do not mock my pain!" Will called into the air, Elizabeth's hopes of ever realizing any dreams with Will Turner crashed and burned.  
  
"I will prove myself to you, and to Elizabeth." Elizabeth was tired of his foolish self-pity, he was the most amazing person she had ever met, and he was kind and gentle and passionate. He had proved his worth to her and to the other Elizabeth continuously but was too stubborn and prideful to see it. Well Elizabeth really wasn't a fan of pride or stubbornness and so decided to correct Will then and there.  
  
"Don't you know Will Turner," she said with nothing less than disdain and annoyance in her voice, as she stood up and moved back to her computer, fully prepared to do whatever it took to send him back to his 'precious' Elizabeth. "You've proved yourself to her a thousand times over."  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth was unable to see the utter look of shock on Will's face as she turned and got to work, but it was nothing short of hurt and conformation to Will that Elizabeth really wanted nothing to do with him.  
  
"Elizabeth!" he said trying to regain whatever shred of dignity he might have left. "Umm, I did not realize you were awake.. How long have you been awake?"  
  
Elizabeth was too upset with his rejection right now to be anything less than civilly annoyed. "Long enough to realise that you have serious self- esteem issues," she mumbled under her breath.  
  
"Pardon?" came Will's gentle response.  
  
But Elizabeth would have none of it, she was now completely focused on the computer and nothing Will said would draw her from it. "I only saw you prancing around my living room with a sword drawn, mumbling to yourself about the Commodore," she mumbled quickly as she struck down on the keyboard wishing it were Elizabeth Swann's head.  
  
To think she had been stupid enough to think that he was trying to kiss her before! He probably was just going to tell her she had something in her teeth, she was so stupid! She focused her mind back on the computer.  
  
"Why on earth are you acting this way Elizabeth? Is it something I've done?" Elizabeth wasn't going to listen to him, wasn't going to care, she thought he was boring, she probably never wanted to speak to him again, Will hung his head in shame as he realised that no woman would probably take a second look at him if they realised how boring he was.  
  
And was promptly scared out of his wits as he felt Elizabeth grab him by the shirt collar and yank him out of his seat.  
  
"YOU SLOW-WITTED NUMBSKULL!" she said with tears threatening to spill over her now bleary eyelids and smudged make-up. "DON'T YOU GET IT? YOU ARE SINGILLY THE GREATEST, KINDEST AND COOLEST PIRATE/BLACKSMITH EVER TO GRACE THE SILVER SCREEN AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO THINK THAT IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!?" Will was now entirely confused and shocked, but liking Elizabeth's close proximity none the less.  
  
"Elizabeth I don't realize what you're saying?" Will said as she paused to take a breath.  
  
"WHAT I'M SAYING YOU THICK-HEADED DUNCE IS THAT YOU ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF MINE, OR ANYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM'S. YOUR ELIZABETH, WHOM YOU SPEND SO MUCH OF YOUR TIME FAWNING OVER, IS INCREDIBLY IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Elizabeth, who had been trying so hard to remain calm, cool and collected was now losing it entirely.  
  
"What?" was all that Will could manage to spit out.  
  
"ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAY THE WORD AND SHE WILL COME RUNNING BACK TO YOU LIKE THE CURSED PIRATES OF THE BLACK PEARL WERE ON HER TAIL!" Elizabeth would have been storming around the room, had she not still been holding onto Will's shirt collar with an iron tight grip. Will was reeling with all that she said, but could not believe it. Elizabeth would never abandon her duty to the Commodore, but This Elizabeth, Will decided, had no such ties. He moved to speak but she cut him off before he could.  
  
"BUT NOOOOOOOO YOU ARE TOO STUPID AND ARROGANT AND CONCEITED AND SLOW AND THICK AND INCREDIBLY." suddenly any further insult she could hurl at him was tossed aside as Will decided he'd had enough of her ramblings, threw the old gentleman's code aside and pressed his lips firmly against hers.  
  
It seemed that for a moment time stopped entirely as the two stood there, both shocked at Will's spontaneity and the fact that both lips were still entwined in one another. Will loved it, it was sweet and soft, everything he knew that a kiss would be, he breathed in deeply and attempted to deepen it, wanting it to last forever, never wanting to let go and wishing always to keep this funny, spunky, 21st century computer analyst, by his side and in his heart.  
  
Elizabeth apparently had different ideas, the moment Will tried to deepen the kiss she froze and stood rigid in her place. Will was shocked, what had gone wrong? Was something the matter with her?  
  
"Elizabeth?" he said gently as he pulled away.  
  
And was greeted with a smart smack across the face and a red-faced, puffy- eyed, Elizabeth Cartwright staring at him with a fire in her eyes that Will neither could, nor wished to comprehend.  
  
"That wasn't meant for me," she whispered softly.  
  
"What?" came Will's bewildered reply. "What are you talking about?" He moved to close the gap between them once more, thinking that the union of their lips was enough to solve any problem.  
  
And swiftly received another swift smack in the face.  
  
"That..*sniff* .th..That k-k-kiss-s-s wasn't mea-n-n-t for m-m-me," she cried as she broke away from him like a scalding pot of boiling tar, and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.  
  
"Elizabeth?" called Will into the now empty and utterly confusing apartment.  
  
*****  
  
Bradford sat uncomfortably in the chair opposite the desk of the General. He was seething inwardly. When he left the apartment he had been ok with leaving Elizabeth in the hands of the capable Pirate/blacksmith, but now, after he had time to forget the look of love on Will's face, the tenderness as he stroked Elizabeth's hand, Bradford's resolution to do what was best for Elizabeth was replaced with a seething jealousy and hatred for the dashing and charming Will Turner. As he sat on the chair, pretending to listen to the General, he thought of various ways of disposing of Will while making it look like an accident.  
  
Bradford was suddenly brought out of his murderous fantasies by the booming voice of the General.  
  
"Have you been listening to me at all Lieutenant!?" General Grippa boomed.  
  
Bradford sat bolt upright in his chair and tried to look attentive. "Not at all sir!" he said honestly.  
  
"And what prêt ell was so pressing on your mind, Lieutenant?" Grippa continued to boom.  
  
"It's just Miss Cartwright sir." Bradford said, as he contemplated giving the whole game away. His loyalty to Elizabeth, and the knowledge of a traitor was all that stopped him. "I'm worried about her safety."  
  
The General softened somewhat at the mention of her name. "By George you're not the only one. But you said she was safe. yes?" Grippa said.  
  
Bradford was almost scarred he'd given away her secret but saved himself. "Yes sir! It's just that while the computer is still out there we have no idea who is controlling it or how much they know about Augustine's capture. She's still in danger."  
  
"I suppose you're right Bradford, while that computer is out there she's at risk. I know you care for the girl and are always out for her best interests, you want to make sure nothing happens to her and I applaud you for it. Do you want me to set up an extra detail for her protection?"  
  
Braford winced, that wouldn't help, how could he explain the presence of possible CIA traitors watching Elizabeth's every move to her while trying to keep her horrible Pirate/blacksmith backstabber hidden. It was all too complicated, but he decided he'd side with Elizabeth, despite the ugly creepy Pirate.  
  
"Umm no sir, we don't want to attract any unnecessary attention to her, I can handle the job myself." Bradford said rather quickly.  
  
"Are you sure?" General Grippa asked.  
  
"Yes sir, less is more in this case," Bradford replied quickly.  
  
"In that case, I want full reports on her every two hours, now keep to the shadows, like you said, we don't want any unnecessary attention." The general's voice was becoming steadily more brisk.  
  
"Yes sir." Bradford was glad he had escaped the added pressure of extra detail.  
  
"Oh and one more thing, Bradford." The general said as Bradford prepared to leave.  
  
"Yes sir?" Bradford said.  
  
"Miss Mackin has a new satellite phone she would like you to test out, go down to R&D for outfitting." The General waved his hand as a sign of dismissal.  
  
"Yes sir." Bradford said as he picked up his things and left. 


	9. Where there's a Will

Author's note: I love Will in this chapter he's sooo nice! I can't describe it, it's late I'll post as soon as I can I promise! Oh and I heard that one of you put me on fav authors. THANK YOU THAT MEANS SO MUCH! Ok I'll stop wasting your precious reading time!  
  
Elizabeth sunk against the bathroom door, utterly confused and alone, her behaviour a complete mystery to her and Will's behaviour even more so. How could he have done . THAT! He wasn't supposed to be kissing her, he was supposed to be pining over Elizabeth, that was simple, that was easy. He would pine over her and Elizabeth would pine over him and he would leave and she would be unhappy and that was the way it would work. He couldn't like her; it didn't work that way, not in the movies! She didn't know what to do. He couldn't stay there anymore. It was too complicated, everything was too complicated, she had to work through this. But she couldn't if Will was continuously knocking on the door!  
  
"Go away Will!" she yelled through the door rather fiercely.  
  
"If that is what you wish Miss Cartwright, I'll take my things and leave you." The sadness in Will's voice nearly crippled Elizabeth, and then she realised exactly what he was saying.  
  
Frantically she poked her head out of the bathroom and yelled at Will who was picking up his effects in the living room, "Are you Crazy! You may be being tracked by agents you can't leave!" She said as she slammed the door and locked herself in the bathroom once more.  
  
"But Elizabeth, what do you want me to do?!" came Will's confused and hopeless response.  
  
Elizabeth was still completely confused, but the idea of Will wandering the streets aimlessly scared her more than her confusion.  
  
"Umm. just go back to practising?" Elizabeth was trying to think of a reason to keep him there.  
  
"I think we need to talk about this Elizabeth." Will was once more standing against the door on the other side, Elizabeth could almost feel his presence there and it saddened her  
  
"I can't talk right now, I have to figure this out." Elizabeth sunk down on the floor once more as she racked her mind to come up with a way to get through this.  
  
But did she even want to get through this? I mean why shouldn't she just open the door, fling her arms around a waiting and apparently willing Will, and kiss him to her hearts content, which would be for a very, VERY long time. She sighed involuntarily, and touched her lips where his had been just been minutes before, wincing slightly at her cut which had decided to heal over. And then caught herself. She had to stick to the facts.  
  
Fact one: Will loved Elizabeth (Swann NOT Cartwright!) fact two: Elizabeth (Cartwright and Swann) loved Will, fact three: Will believed that he loved Elizabeth (Cartwright, not Swann) when in fact he loved Elizabeth (Swann, not Cartwright) while BOTH Elizabeth's (Swann and Cartwright) were incredibly in love with him and only one Elizabeth (preferably Cartwright but not, so Swann) could have him in the end. That was where it got confusing, fact three (which was really a combination of facts one and two) and the fact that Will would have to go back to Elizabeth Swann (he was already with Cartwright). Elizabeth sighed inwardly again, this time out of frustration. What was she going to do? She realised that in order to keep Will safe she would have to explain to him why he had to stay with her, while not actually 'staying' with her. She breathed deeply, screwed all of the courage that she had into controlling her raging hormones and slowly opened the door.  
  
And was promptly accosted by Will and his soft, waiting lips. Dang that man, he was kissing her again! Elizabeth was momentarily rushed away in a sweet dream of pirate's kisses before releasing all of her previously placed courage and pushing Will away.  
  
"Stop doing that!" she scolded. "Or I'll belt you again!" She raised her hand as a warning and Will backed away quickly.  
  
"But Elizabeth, I'm sure that before, when."  
  
"Before will not be happening again!" came Elizabeth's firm response, outwardly anyway, inwardly she was still reeling from her second kiss.  
  
"But." Will tried to cut in and explain himself away, but to Elizabeth it was merely a failing attempt to get back to her lips.  
  
"But nothing! Now sit on the be. COUCH and listen to me!" Elizabeth's control was waning, she knew it, so she was glad when Will ceased any further advances and sat down on the couch, looking downcast and rejected.  
  
"Now cut that out!" she said as his puppy brown eyes threatened to melt her firm resolve.  
  
"What now!" Will said bewildered.  
  
"Look, stop feeling sorry for yourself man cause it becomes you too well to keep me focused." Elizabeth said as she began to pace back and forth.  
  
"Excuse me?" Will said.  
  
"You heard me pretty boy," Elizabeth said reciting the first lines that came into her mind.  
  
"Elizabeth I really think that you should." Will started as he began to rise out of the chair.  
  
"DOWN BOY!" came Elizabeth's swift response.  
  
"Yes ma'am," Will said as he sat down and tried to paste on the most neutral expression he could come up with, it vaguely resembled a sneer.  
  
"Okay, here's the deal," Elizabeth began wasting no further time. "You don't love me."  
  
"Excuse me! You have no right to decide who I love!" Came Will's quick response.  
  
"And YOU are not going to interrupt with any further comments if you wish to keep your. valuable treasure." Elizabeth said threatening Will with a silencing glare.  
  
"But." and then Will realised the threat behind the comment and remained silent.  
  
"Thank you." Elizabeth said as she began pacing across the room once more. "As I was saying, you do not love me, you love Elizabeth. Swann, you love Miss Swann." Elizabeth paused to figure the wording for her next sentence, and took a quick look at Will, who was sitting on the couch in a stupor of thought. That was a mistake as it distracted and muddled her thinking even more.  
  
"Now what you're experiencing is commonly referred to as rebound," she continued clumsily. "You love Elizabeth, but you can't have her, so the next breathing female to show you attention. that would be me." Elizabeth cringed slightly as she referred to herself in such a way but kept going none the less.  
  
"You fall head over heels for, in an attempt to sooth the wounds created when you drifted from your last relationship. So, what your feeling for me. while natural is NOT what we want, considering that both of us should be focusing on how to get you back into the movie before anyone notices that the star of Pirates of the Caribbean is mysteriously nowhere to be found!" Elizabeth finished and sat down on the bed in a huff, debating silently whether she wanted Will to understand.  
  
"I understand," said Will hesitantly, his 'valuable treasure' on the line.  
  
"Good," said Elizabeth relieved. and a little disappointed that Will would no longer be flying at her.  
  
"But what I don't understand is why you have taken so long to tell me, if you are truly not interested, why not just tell me from the beginning?" Elizabeth had hoped he wouldn't have caught onto that fact.  
  
"Don't think I didn't try!" she started quickly, and then stopped and decided to tell the truth in order to clear up any misconceptions. "It's just that, when you're not used to that sort of attention and you don't expect it from anyone, especially a handsome dashing pirate. And then he tries to. well, you know," she smiled slightly but was too afraid to look up and watch Will's expression as her face turned crimson red.  
  
She held her breath as she heard Will get up from the couch and join her on the bed, debating with herself whether or not she would slap him if he tried to kiss her again. She was tempted to initiate the kiss herself but withdrew as she heard his soft voice.  
  
"I am sorry Elizabeth, if I have offended you, but do not think forever that you will not be getting used to 'that sort of attention' because you are worthy of it," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, say's the rebound guy." She retorted with a smile as she finally regained the courage to look him in the face.  
  
"Don't think Elizabeth, that because I am apparently 'on the rebound' I don't have wit enough to realise a charming, kind and beautiful woman when I see one," Will said seriously, as he moved back to the couch, increasing the distance between them, and sealing his resolve to no longer pounce on her.  
  
It was a good thing too, because at that moment Elizabeth had almost been ready to pounce on him herself.  
  
*****  
  
"Ok, Umm let's get back to work," Elizabeth said as she rose and once again moved to sit at the computer screen.  
  
Will continued to sit on the couch and ponder over the events that had just taken place. He was a disgrace to his upbringing; he'd just shamed Elizabeth, and himself. Mind you, he was half-Pirate, that kind of un- bridled passion was a part of him. Still, he had just forced himself on a woman who had no desire for him. Well that was not entirely true either, Will could sense the desire in Elizabeth every time they were close together, it was that feeling which had driven him to kiss her again, but again she had driven him off. Why was he being so rash? Could Elizabeth's analysis of his feelings be correct? Could he only be pursuing this because he could no longer have His Elizabeth? He winced as he thought of her, he had lost her that day, he feared before that he would lose her to the Pirates only to be betrayed when she promised herself to the Commodore. He was sure that if he had only told her how he felt that she would have stayed with him.  
  
Then Will realized that This Elizabeth was right. His rash actions were given to the fact that he could not bear to let another Elizabeth slip through his fingers. His emotions were not felt out of love or loyalty, but out of lust and pride. He did not care about her, not in the way she deserved, he only wanted to make sure that she didn't leave him alone. He sighed and leaned forward on his hand, continuing to debase himself for his foolery and selfishness. He then caught a whiff of Elizabeth typing on her computer not more than a foot away, and reeled.  
  
Now it wasn't the scent itself that sent him reeling, but the implications behind it all, which made Will almost lose control again. Will was a man of the earth, he listened, viewed, felt and even smelt the world around him with the utmost of care, he had to. A swordfight required observation of all those things, the balance between light and shadow, the glint of the sun off steel, the feel of the ground beneath his feet and the scent of blood on his or an opponents sword could all make a difference in the outcome of a match, if a trained man could sense it. And Will Turner's trained mind was sensing something now.  
  
Elizabeth was still covered in the remains of the potted plant from the battle in the alleyway, and so had a deep earthy smell. Will picked that up almost immediately along with the sweat, to most this would be unpleasant, but to Will it signalled hard work and dedication, to him. He smelled the fresh scent of her deodorant, reapplied countless times last night in an effort to crack that computer, for him. And most recently the scent of blood and tears, made in the alleyway and then back in the apartment, by him. By his stupidity and lack of self-control. He looked up at Elizabeth's face and noticed a small cut across her lip, made during the fight no doubt, when he had failed to protect her, which had since healed over. He looked at where the blood had marred her lips, where his had no doubt broken and caused even more pain, all due to his selfish desires.  
  
That mark of blood offended him more than any other ever had, it did not deserve to be their, on her soft and beautiful lips. It symbolized a pain and suffering that Elizabeth never deserved to feel again, and its presence was a disgrace to her. So Will decided to change that, gingerly he licked his thumb and moved to remove the offensive spot from her perfect lips.  
  
He had scarcely done so when Elizabeth, upon feeling his soft touch, jumped about three feet in the air, smacked her knee against the computer desk and whirled on Will with a look that could only be described as a cross between frustration and confusion.  
  
"Will!" she screamed at him as she hoped around the computer from the pain in her knee. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"  
  
Will suddenly realized what he was doing and more importantly was he was just thinking and feeling, he had just done it again! Again he had let his desires get in the way of his proper behaviour and had caused further injury upon Elizabeth. Frantically he tried to find something to break the tension and explain his rash actions.  
  
"It is just that.umm. you look terrible!" was all that he could cough out. He winced at his stupidity.  
  
"Oh that's just beautiful," came Elizabeth's sarcastic response.  
  
"Umm what I meant to say was you really should get out of those clothes." Again, not the most brilliant thing to say.  
  
"EXCUSE ME!" came Elizabeth's shocked response.  
  
"You need to take a bath!" Will decided to rush on before Elizabeth could comprehend what he was saying. "I mean you have been unable to sleep in two days and you haven't been taking care of yourself, you should really try and relax. Once you have taken a shower and maybe a short rest you can continue. I was not insinuating anything I swear." He felt pathetic, he looked pathetic, but he looked darn good when he looked pathetic so Elizabeth forgave him.  
  
"I guess you're right," Elizabeth said as she sighed and sat on the bed opposite Will. "I am kinda tired." She let herself relax and Will noticed the effect all of the added pressure was having on her, her bright eyes were tired and lifeless and her bright smile was replaced with a sagging expression. It only made him love her more.  
  
"You go freshen up, I will cook you something and you can come out and be fresh and clean and then have a nice rest." Will said as he took her hand and led her to the bath, as a father would lead a small child.  
  
"That'd be nice," said Elizabeth as she yawned slightly. Then her eyes perked up slightly and she began to move towards the door. "Umm I bought some stuff for you today, a new set of clothes if you wanted them, and a paper, just let me go get them." Elizabeth moved toward the door, but Will stopped her.  
  
"No, you just stay here, I'll go get it," Will said, and before she could protest was out the door.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth was tired, the past two days had finally caught up to her and she needed a break. She was grateful to Will for pointing it out, but could've thought of a better way to introduce the topic. She chuckled slightly at the look on his face when she had whirled around and yelled at him, he had looked so clueless, it was adorable. he was adorable. Elizabeth smacked herself upside the head mentally for dreaming about him. That wasn't helpful, she had to focus on decrypting the computer, she only had six days before he left, she had to use every minute of it if she wanted to do the right thing and send him home.  
  
Still, he was adorable. But any further daydreams were ceased as Will returned, complete with the bag and a downcast look on his face. Elizabeth thought immediately that he had been seen.  
  
"What is it Will?" she said frantically. "Were you seen, who saw you, what's going on?"  
  
Will looked up sadly,  
  
"Six days," he said plainly as he held up the paper.  
  
"Yes," Elizabeth said as she tried to be as positive as possible, her heart broke as she saw how disappointed he was at the lack of time they had together. "In six days you will be home again, where you belong. So that's why we need to focus, we don't have a lot of time left." Elizabeth sensed that she wasn't helping any so decided to change the subject.  
  
"So did you find the clothes I bought you?" she asked as she moved to her closet and pulled out a change of clothes and a fresh towel.  
  
"Umm. yes," Will said rather sheepishly.  
  
"Do you think they'll fit?" she asked innocently as she closed the closet once more.  
  
"Umm. yes, thank you, I just had one question," Elizabeth was puzzled to look up and see Will's blushing face.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, still not comprehending his embarrassment.  
  
"What am I supposed to do with these?" he said as he held up the dreaded boxer/briefs.  
  
Elizabeth went from blissful ignorance to dreaded realization, the moment she purchased the dreaded undergarments running through her mind at first painfully slow, and then fast forwarded to her present situation. She didn't know whether her face went ghostly pale or crimson red, but suspected it did a bit of both. Frantically she tried to think of some excuse, any excuse she had left. She failed.  
  
"I'll see you in a bit," she cried as she dashed into the bathroom.  
  
Theirs was an interesting relationship. 


	10. Past and Present

Author's note: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. again! This chapter is sooo long! Nightlight4 I think I'm on overload! Just kidding, I love reviews they're. well they're not what keeps me going, the story itself does that, they're just the really yummy bit, Anyway, a bit more background in this chap. And the time jump at the beginning, I have to move this story along or we'll never get to the end!!!!!! Ok so here you go! Oh and see if you can't catch the little foreshadow to a sequel I'm thinking about writing. hehehe.  
  
Once Elizabeth had come out of the bathroom and Will had discovered the purpose of the boxer/briefs, things had simmered between them. For the past two days it had been nothing but work for Elizabeth and tension for Will. Elizabeth would work on the computer tirelessly, only pausing for food, or for rest, in both cases at the insistence of Will. Will could sense that she was frustrated but had not the power nor knowledge to help her. It was finally in the late morning of the Tuesday, while Will sat on the bed reading Elizabeth's old copy of Treasure Island that she exploded in all of her anger and frustration.  
  
Will was jarred from his reading suddenly as he heard Elizabeth start yelling at the computer.  
  
"Grrrrr, why won't you just open up and tell me how to crack you!!" she screamed as she stood and threatened to hurl the infernal machine at the wall.  
  
Will was at her side instantly and grabbed the computer before she could do anything drastic, despite his Pirate side telling him to drop the computer, destroy it completely and then call it an accident and stay by Elizabeth's side forever. He gingerly laid the machine on the bed and went back to a still fuming Elizabeth.  
  
"Maybe you need another break," he suggested as he led her over to the couch.  
  
Elizabeth would have none of it. "I don't need a break! I need a way to break that stupid thing!"  
  
Will tried to lighten the mood. "Would my sword help?" he said slyly.  
  
Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks. "Am I mistaken, or did the brooding Will Turner just try and make a joke?!" she looked at him incredulously.  
  
Will smiled slightly, it had worked. "Not in the least fair maiden, I was being entirely serious," he said pasting a faked expression of sternness on his face.  
  
Elizabeth's laughter was a welcomed relief to the tense atmosphere the apartment had been associated with the past few days. "Well I'll be, Mr. Turner has a previously unmentioned sense of humour. I thought it wasn't befitting a gentleman."  
  
"It was something a little Sparrow taught me," Will said smartly.  
  
Elizabeth was almost rolling on the floor in laughter. "Yes, I can recall lessons a little Hen taught me once." Will was slightly shocked as Elizabeth stopped suddenly, a look of realization crossing her face.  
  
"That's it!" She yelled out suddenly, shaking Will slightly. "Oh Will Turner I could kiss you!" Will almost jumped out of his skin; that was the first time either of them had broached the subject of their feelings for one another in the past two days. He moved closer but was shot down as Elizabeth suddenly moved away.  
  
"I could kiss you for what you've done for me Will, but I won't," she said sternly. "We've made too big a breakthrough to loose it all now."  
  
Will was now hurt and confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked attempting to get any form of explanation.  
  
Elizabeth chuckled a little more. "I should have thought of it sooner." she paused as she went to the closet and began searching through it. "It's not going to be easy, but I think I can appeal to him," she said as she pulled out a large box and started to go through it.  
  
"What's not going to be easy? Who's not going to be easy to appeal to? What's going on?!" Will called out suddenly.  
  
Elizabeth stopped going through her things and listened to him, her happy expression changing as she realized Will's confusion. "Come here, sit down and I'll tell you all about it," she said as she went back to the box.  
  
"Yes ma'am," he said as he pulled up a piece of the rug next to her.  
  
Elizabeth didn't look up, but continued to search through the box. "Jack Sparrow taught you how to be a Pirate, correct?" she said as she picked up a book, riffled through it and then threw it down into the box.  
  
"Yes, I suppose you could say that, only it wasn't really Piracy he taught me but sailing and orienteering by the stars and rigging and things like that." Will said a bit indignantly.  
  
"But basically he taught you how to be a Pirate, because you needed him to help you." Elizabeth didn't wait for his response, but kept on talking. "Well just as you had an experienced Pirate to show you the ropes, I had an experienced hacker who taught me mine."  
  
"But I thought you had left hacking behind you! I thought you had been betrayed!" Will said suddenly, not wanting Elizabeth to sacrifice her innocence on his part.  
  
Elizabeth dropped the envelope she was searching suddenly and looked at Will.  
  
"How do you know about my hacking?" she said accusingly.  
  
Will was squirming under her intense stare, it had been so much easier when she had been swooning over him. "Umm. Bradford told me," was all that Will could muster.  
  
"What? That little punk! He had no right to tell you about my past!" Elizabeth started to stand, preparing to tirade around the apartment. Will quickly sensed that this would be less productive and would never lead to the explanation of the situation.  
  
"It was my fault, I asked him to tell me." Will said, trying to divert Elizabeth's attention back to him.  
  
"Why would you care about my past?" Elizabeth said as she moved over to Will.  
  
"I wanted to know how to protect you, I need to know about your past and present in order to do that," Will said sincerely.  
  
"You could have asked me." Elizabeth said indignantly.  
  
"Alright, I'll ask you now, why did you become a hacker?" Will hoped that Elizabeth was telling the truth. If he could get her past out of her it would be the next step in rebuilding their relationship.  
  
Elizabeth pondered for a moment and then moved back to the box and continued her search. "I was eighteen, a freshmen in collage studying computer engineering. I didn't come from a rich home, it was happy," Elizabeth paused as if remembering happier times.  
  
"It sounds nice," Will said softly, happy that his plan was working.  
  
"It was, but it wasn't rich," Elizabeth said with a tone that could only be classified as disgust. "I was running out of money fast and when Hen approached me with the opportunity to make thousands of dollars doing what I was good at, I let my greed take over and I accepted.'  
  
"Who's Hen?" Will asked gingerly, not wanting to pry, but too curious to resist.  
  
"Henry Mitchton, a Processing professor who had his hands in some. let's say questionable affairs. He recognised my talent and gave me a job offer I couldn't pass up." Elizabeth looked hopeful as she picked up an old wallet, but then flipped through it and placed it back in the box dejectedly.  
  
"You became a hacker." Will's calm voice rang.  
  
"Not overnight, I wasn't really into becoming a criminal, but Hen had a different philosophy, he did mainly corporate work, industrial espionage, illegally accessed things which weren't all that legal to begin with. He seemed more like Robin Hood than a hardened criminal, only he wasn't nearly as dashing," Elizabeth smiled slightly as remembered him.  
  
"And you think he will help us?" Will asked forcing himself a little deeper.  
  
"That's the hard part, see as I started working I became a little more. I thought it was ambitious at the time, but it was greed, I wanted bigger fish, so I ditched him and started working for the highest bidder, he wanted to tell me everything he knew, but I left before he had the chance. I was young, foolish and invincible, or so I thought." Elizabeth hung her head.  
  
"And then you were caught?" Will knew the answer but wanted to hear it from Elizabeth, to be let in on that part of her life.  
  
"I wanted to escape, I got in over my head, I went to Hen at first, said I needed help, he said I needed money more than anything and that hacking wasn't supposed to be about greed, it was supposed to be about the challenge. So I went to the CIA and." Elizabeth paused, Will mentally begged her to continue, to let him in and allow him to comfort her, it was the next step in getting her to trust him again, in letting him get close to her in the way Will knew both of them wanted, and he was so close. But it wasn't meant to be at that time.  
  
"And they gave me a job and now I'm supposed to be working for them, but that didn't really work out either so now I guess I'm going back to Hen," Elizabeth said as she quickly went back to work searching for whatever it was she was searching for.  
  
"He sounds like Jack," Will said quietly, respectfully, saddened at her refusal to let him in, but knowing the difficulty of it at the same time.  
  
"He is, in a lot of ways, like Jack, he was never in it for the money, only for the challenge." Elizabeth smiled again as she remembered him and picked up a small piece of paper. "In fact it's that characteristic which is probably going to convince him to help us."  
  
"I don't follow," Will said slightly puzzled.  
  
"I mean come on," Elizabeth said as she realized that she had finally found the peace of paper she was looking for, and her smile grew a little more. "What pirate could pass up the opportunity for betrayal, intrigue, government conspiracy, escaped movie characters and a super-computer which makes something out of nothing, it's defiantly his idea of fun." Elizabeth's eyes sparkled and her faced beamed as she turned over the paper to reveal a set of number's with 'Hen's Phone Number' written across the top.  
  
"Fun says you, I think I understand your plans, says I." Will said grinning slightly.  
  
"Wonderful," Elizabeth said as she packed up the box and put it back in the bottom of the cupboard. "Let's give my friend a call shall we?" Will was happy she had found what she was looking for, but saddened that it seemed to bring him one step closer to going back to the empty Caribbean, and she didn't care.  
  
"Yes, let's" Will said as he offered her a hand up and tried his hardest to seem happy.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth moved over to the phone, faking her enthusiasm as she went. She knew she could convince Hen to help her, but knew that once he cracked this fickle computer Will's fate would be sealed and he would be put back into the movie. But that was what was supposed to happen, Will was supposed to go back to his waiting Elizabeth (Swann, that is) and he would live out his life and be happy and Elizabeth would go back to her computer games and Our Fine Hero.  
  
She looked at Her Fine Hero as she picked up the phone and dialled the number to her old mentor. Will had moved back to the bed and had taken up his book once more, Treasure Island Elizabeth had thought that was so funny, so like him, wanting to go back and relive his adventure, to visualize the billowing sails of the ship and the spray of the sea salt. It sounded like a magical place, and a part of Elizabeth wished she could go back with Will and witness it all. She was brought back to reality as the phone sprung to life and blaring techno music hit her ear.  
  
"If you have this number you better have two things to go along with it, a secure line and a dang good reason for calling me her." A gruff voice called over the music.  
  
Elizabeth almost chuckled at the sound of her old friend and his paranoia. "Hello Hen," was all she said.  
  
Or rather all she could say, because the minute Henry Mitchton heard her voice, Elizabeth was met with a barrage of questions and accusations.  
  
"How dare you call here! What do you think you're doing? If you think for one minute that I'm going to give you any information Lizzie you have another thing coming because I'm not in that business anymore, I've gone legit remember?" Elizabeth knew that Hen was anything but legit, but also knew that he was covering his butt in case Elizabeth was trying to play him.  
  
"Relax butt munch, I wouldn't ask your opinion if you were the last computer geek on earth, you over conceded poop-spewing puss ball," Elizabeth almost laughed as she registered the look of shock on Will's face at her. creative language. She covered the receiver in an effort to explain herself.  
  
"We have a special relationship, me and Hen," she said as she registered Hen's voice on the other end of the receiver.  
  
"Now you listen, you arrogant little she-devil, you know that I'm the best there is, now if you want something, you just come out and say it, you inexperienced whelp of a an analyst!" Hen's angered voice returned.  
  
"Ok geezer, here's my proposition, I have a friend that I want you to meet, he's visiting from pretty far away and I thought it wouldn't be too bad if he met my worst half you slug-fingered oaf of a processor." Elizabeth smiled widely at her creative insults and Will tried to hide a smirk as he attempted to concentrate on his book. But Hen wasn't picking yet.  
  
"And what would ever convince me to make an appointment with one of your no doubt mindless and flee-ridden acquaintances," Hen's voice was quickly losing patience and Elizabeth knew that if she didn't dangle a carrot she'd loose him and be hard pressed to reach him again.  
  
"Maybe the fact that he's the key in a recent chain of event's, and if you saw him you'd be crazy as a pirate not to take me up on my offer." Elizabeth hoped he'd remembered enough of their old conversations to notice her slight emphasis.  
  
It seemed as though he had because there was a short pause and then Elizabeth could almost see the smile cross his face as he answered.  
  
"Well then, you conceded monkey butt muncher, if you're so cocky as to think that that this person is worthy of my attention you should check out Maria's Party Palace this Wednesday and let them have some fun." Hen sneered on the other end.  
  
Bingo, Elizabeth was in.  
  
"Oh come on," she said playfully. "That place is so old, I wouldn't be caught dead there for more than an hour! I mean someone would notice me and connect me with their bad taste and tackiness." Elizabeth was following standing meeting procedure, setting a limit on time letting Hen know she may be monitored.  
  
"Well it's the only place I frequent, Maria always makes sure I have a good time, she's got a room for special customers, but it only opens after ten o'clock and usually fills in the first fifteen minutes, I could leave a spot open for you and your friend to have some fun." Hen had taken her offer and set the time and place, now it was up to Elizabeth to confirm, and boy did she have a doozy.  
  
"You old perverted fart! How dare you insinuate that I would be caught dead there! If you only listen to the one letter of this you'd better get what I'm saying." Elizabeth paused in order to lend effect.  
  
"Teens earn nicer pay, all stats taken!" Elizabeth added another pause to make it clear.  
  
"You got that? Don't you dare try to buy me off with some cheap thing like that! We're through here." Elizabeth hung up the phone with a bang, sat down on the bed and sighed.  
  
"That man will never change," she said as she leaned against the wall.  
  
Will moved next to here and put a comforting arm on her shoulder. "Don't worry Elizabeth, we'll work through this together."  
  
Elizabeth realised that Will hadn't understood her comment and was now coming dangerously close to her lips again. Quickly she stood and moved over to the couch.  
  
"Oh, sorry Will, you probably didn't get any of that," Elizabeth said as she winced at his sadness in her haste in increasing the distance.  
  
"I understand that the person you called was unable to be of assistance, but don't let it worry you," Will stayed on the bed, respecting the distance Elizabeth had placed between them.  
  
"No that's just it Will, we have an agreement, me and Hen, he want's to meet us at ten past ten tomorrow at Maria's Party Palace." Elizabeth saw the confusion in Will's face and chuckled.  
  
"And again you start will that infernal chuckling Elizabeth. Do you find my ignorance amusing?" Elizabeth was shocked at Will's sudden annoyance; she was only playing with him.  
  
"I do when you let it bother you in such a way, I mean come on Will don't get so bent out of shape!" Elizabeth moved over to the kitchen and opened the fridge.  
  
"Therein lies the problem, you keep saying things and I have not the slightest idea of what they mean. I am trapped in this world and you refuse to show me anything about it, and when I make a mistake out of ignorance, you laugh at me. I thought we were past this, but clearly we're not." Will humphed and flopped himself down on the bed.  
  
Elizabeth realised her mistake immediately went to the bed and sat next to Will. "You're right it's not fair to keep you cooped up here like this, I guess if we were being tracked by agents they would have shown up by now hey," Elizabeth smiled at Will who finally smiled back.  
  
"There you go, much better now. Now what do you say we get out of this place and go hit the town," Elizabeth said as she nudged Will in a friendly manner.  
  
"Are you sure it is safe Elizabeth? I mean those brutes who attacked you before could be waiting for an opportunity such as this." Elizabeth was touched by Will's concern but longed to get out of her tiny apartment as much as she knew he did.  
  
"I think that a certain sword wielding hero has deterred them from any further attacks," Elizabeth said sweetly as she got up and moved to grab her car keys.  
  
Will coloured slightly, "I really didn't do much," Will said humbly.  
  
"Oh yeah, only gave one a smart bump in the head, one a broken nose and the other a severe fear of potted plants." Elizabeth chuckled again as Will rose to join her.  
  
"So what are we going to see?" Will said as he linked arms with Elizabeth and they walked towards the door.  
  
"Well, I have a hole burning in my checking account and you need some new clothes for the dance so." Elizabeth burst, laughing out loud at Will's reaction to the word dance.  
  
"Dance, what dance?" Will asked incredulously.  
  
"First things first," chuckled Elizabeth. "Let's go shopping."  
  
"Is waltz common in the twenty-first century?" Will asked sheepishly.  
  
"What?" Elizabeth cried.  
  
"Waltz. It is the only style of dance I know, I was trying to learn, but I was caught up in the smithery and I never found the time to complete my training, I am a excellent waltzer though." Elizabeth saw that he was turning a slight shade of crimson.  
  
Author: Ok I know that waltz isn't a 17th or 18th century dance, and I know Will saying he is an excellent waltzer sounds rather pathetic, but Please bear with me! It's very important to the story and a * VERY * good moment in the future. Ok I'm done, back to the waltzing Will.  
  
"You want to learn how to dance?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
"Well I'm curious to know how much the music style has changed, along with everything else in the world." Elizabeth couldn't read the expression on Will's face, so decided a little crash course on twenty-first clubbing wouldn't hurt much. would it? 


	11. Let's Dance

Author's Note: Hello everyone. sad news ahead, I'm moving in one week, out of the country and I won't be able to post for at least one month from Christmas. So I have a question to ask, do you want all of the chapters I've done so far or do you want me to keep posting once a week and just wait till I get back? Anyway thanks for all of your incredibly wonderful reviews, I do enjoy them so much, especially those who review every time I update. It means so much, anyway Merry Christmas!!!!!  
  
Will helped Elizabeth push aside the furniture, grateful that he had postponed the shopping trip for a little longer. He was eager to go out into the new world and learn all he could, but did not feel that a market was the greatest place to accomplish it.  
  
Elizabeth moved over to a small box on the wall and started pushing buttons and flicking switches. Will was fascinated as she took out a small metallic disk and placed it on a tray, which then closed automatically.  
  
"That's amazing," he whispered.  
  
Elizabeth looked at him and smiled oddly. "It's only a stereo, it plays music."  
  
"Really? But it's so small!" Will said with bewilderment.  
  
"I know it looks complicated, but trust me, it plays music, so keep focused," Will was slightly disappointed that he would no longer be able to learn about the strange stereo.  
  
Suddenly a strange deep, pulsating sound filled the room, it was unlike anything Will had ever heard before. It was erratic and unpredictable, there were voices coming from the box but the language they were speaking was unfamiliar. Moreover, it was loud.  
  
However, Elizabeth looked as though she liked the noise that was spewing from the small box. She had a smile on her face and was, weaving from side to side like an ocean wave caught in tidal pool.  
  
"What is that?" Will yelled over the noise.  
  
"What? Oh, this is Beyonce 'Crazy in Love' I love this song!" Elizabeth said with a smile.  
  
"This is a song? It sounds like a war cry!" Will yelled.  
  
"Oi! You just aren't used to it!" Elizabeth yelled.  
  
"I don't want to get used to it, it's rubbish! And you look ridiculous," Will yelled.  
  
Suddenly the loud 'music' stopped and Will was left finishing his shout to a silent apartment, and an annoyed Elizabeth.  
  
"I don't know why I even bothered, I mean me trying to teach you about twenty- first century music is like you trying to teach me about the finer points of sword fighting," she said abruptly.  
  
Will realised he had let his shock over the music effect his mood, and had been sharp and rash with Elizabeth. He was instantly regretful for not giving her strange music a chance, but saw an opportunity in Elizabeth's defeated comment.  
  
"Okay, Elizabeth, if you want to learn the finer points of sword fighting I will teach you, in exchange you will give me a second chance at this twenty- first century style," Will said with a charming smile.  
  
"What?" Elizabeth said suddenly.  
  
"You heard me, you teach me the meaning behind the noise and I will show you the art behind the sword," Will said eloquently.  
  
Elizabeth's expression softened and Will gave a sigh of relief.  
  
"Ok blacksmith, let's do this," Elizabeth smiled.  
  
"So what do you wish to start with, dance or sword?" Will asked sweetly.  
  
"Umm. you probably know how to explain sword fighting a lot better than I know how to explain dancing so let's start with you," Elizabeth said as she moved to stand next to Will.  
  
The hours Will spent on training whirled through his mind at a dizzying pace as he searched for a viable explanation to give to Elizabeth. His mind went back to a few days before when he had been training against the Commodore in his mind. The effort he put into sizing up his opponent, now doubled as he attempted to analyse himself.  
  
Then Will thought of an explanation and decided to go for it.  
  
"When a man. excuse me," Will fumbled as he caught Elizabeth's accusing stare. "When a person goes into a sword fight the last thing on their mind is the opponent they're facing," Will said as he moved to the kitchen and grabbed a broom and mop.  
  
"Really?" Elizabeth asked as he tossed her the mop.  
  
"Yes," continued Will. "Before a swordsman. or person, can ever successfully combat an opponent, they must be aware of their surroundings, so we'll start there. Now close your eyes."  
  
Will wondered if Elizabeth would trust him enough to accept, his previous infractions against her weighing heavily in his mind.  
  
"But." she started.  
  
It seemed she hadn't, but this step was crucial to the proper technique of a swordsman so was necessary. "Now, now," Will scolded her lightly. "You said you wanted to learn so I'm teaching you. Now close your eyes." Will watched as she did so. And moved silently to take a stance beside her.  
  
*****  
  
"Now focus on what you feel, hear, smell and even taste. Most people assume that a great swordsman is one who sees his opponent's attack and counters before being struck, when in fact sight is the last sense to be put into use," Will continued as Elizabeth stood, her eyes closed listening intently to his soft, and graceful instruction.  
  
Elizabeth tried to do what he said, she cleared her mind and focused on describing her surroundings, she felt her feet on the carpet, smelt the familiar smells of her apartment, mixed in with Will's exotic scent, heard the background noise of the streets below and tasted nothing in particular. Overall it was fairly uneventful.  
  
"What do you feel?" She heard Will ask, as she felt the carpet shift under his weight as he moved closer.  
  
"I feel kinda stupid," Elizabeth said lightly.  
  
"I meant around you," She heard Will scold. " Never mind just keep focused." she flinched a bit as she felt his warm, sweet breath on her face. It distracted her entirely too much.  
  
Elizabeth still thought this was all rather pointless, she wasn't going to become a brilliant swordsman. or person, she was never very good at the active things anyway, she left all the tree climbing and fight-picking to people like Bradford.  
  
"Try and track my movements through what you feel and hear," Will said softly. "When you think you know where I am, reach out and I'll tell you how far away you are," Elizabeth still had her eyes closed but she knew there was a smug smile on Will's face.  
  
"Your confidence in me is overwhelming," she said as she searched furiously for any sound that may give away his position.  
  
Elizabeth could tell that he had moved, his voice had sounded different. She focused on where she had heard the sound from, searching for any kind of movement or sound. She thought she felt a slight shift in the carpet and pointed furiously in the direction it came from.  
  
"You have to concentrate if you are going to track me," Will said from an entirely different direction than Elizabeth had thought. She could tell he was smirking from in the tone of voice.  
  
"Quit your smiling buddy, you can't hide forever," she said.  
  
She fell quiet and focused all the attention she had on listening and feeling the world around her. She thought she could here the ruffle of Will's shirt and gingerly pointed in the direction it came from.  
  
Her hand hit nothing but air; again she had no luck. "You are getting closer, keep trying," Will said from about five feet to the left of where she had thought he was.  
  
She had to keep trying; she would not let him beat her. She put all that she had into focusing on any sound within the apartment. She strained her ears grasping desperately at any vibration available.  
  
And then she heard it, slow, rhythmic and barely audible, but it was there. She had to cease her own to hear it, but there it was, the soothing sound of the rise and fall of Will's chest as he breathed cautiously. Once Elizabeth had broken that barrier it seemed as though a whole new world was awakened.  
  
Along with his breathing she could hear the slight movements of his clothes as he shuffled from place to place. She could feel the vibration as he moved across the carpet, and it seemed as though she may even be able to hear the quiet beating of his heart if she listened hard enough. It was excellent, she knew exactly where he was now, could reach out and touch him easily, but decided to have a bit of fun first.  
  
Slowly Elizabeth stretched out a hand in the opposite direction Will was standing. She smiled as she heard his shuffling stop and his breathing ease.  
  
"You know, I thought we were making progre.whoa!!" Elizabeth flipped the mop in her hands and brought it swiftly and gently into the back of Will's knees, buckling them and sending him to the floor.  
  
Elizabeth opened her eyes, looked down and smiled at Will who was looking up with disbelief on the floor. He seemed too speechless to say anything.  
  
"I know," Elizabeth smiled as she helped him to his feet once more. "I think I got the hang of this awareness thing."  
  
"I would say so," Will was smiling too, only his was still more puzzled than triumphant.  
  
"Let's move onto dance for a while shall we?" Elizabeth said sweetly.  
  
"Yes, let's. I fear to see what would happen to me if I taught you proper striking techniques." Will said smiling a little broader now.  
  
Elizabeth was revelling in her small triumph, that focus and concentration technique was pretty cool, and it gave her a slight insight as to how to teach Will about dancing.  
  
"Okay," Elizabeth said as she moved back to the stereo and turned the volume down slightly. "I think I know how to teach you how to dance."  
  
"Do tell," Will said as he moved over to her.  
  
*****  
  
"Now sword fighting is dependant on you finding your opponent and listening and feeling his movements, like I did with you," Elizabeth said slyly.  
  
Will was astonished, she'd taken him down easily with only a few minutes of basic concentration training, like a sack of stones he'd fallen to the ground under her blow. Mind you he was distracted at the time, but still, as a swordsman he had an obligation to be focused when under attack. He was embarrassed, but he was certainly very impressed.  
  
"I'm listening," he smiled back at her, he noticed that she flushed slightly when he did that.  
  
"See dancing is the same way only instead of an opponent your interacting with, it's the music," Elizabeth turned on the strange stereo and Will listened as the war chant music came on again, this time considerably softer and at a respectably audible tone.  
  
Will watched as Elizabeth seemed to involuntarily move to it, like she didn't have a choice, like when it turned on it became a part of her. He was intrigued. "How do you interact with the music?" Will asked.  
  
Elizabeth's face screwed into a look of puzzlement and concentration, she obviously had not put to words this much of her explanation.  
  
"I guess it's like how I was sensing you before," she finally said. "See I found you because I found your breathing, I heard it steady and consistent, and I focused on it in order to know how to find you and react."  
  
Will again was impressed; she had sensed his breathing? Many swordsman work for countless numbers of years before mastering such concentration and she had pulled it off in a few minutes. Will was eager to learn more about her and her abilities.  
  
"So what am I looking for?" Will asked as the music continued to throb in the background.  
  
"It's the rhythm, the beat, the heart of the music. It's in every song, you just have to find it and embrace it. After that it's just about adding your own personal flair," Elizabeth finished as she did a little twirl and dip to emphasis a specific point in the song.  
  
Will was determined to learn just as quickly as Elizabeth had, he cleared his mind and focused on the music, which to him still sounded like mindless droning. He searched diligently but couldn't find anything, just this throbbing in the back of his ears. He screwed his face in utter concentration, but still was unable to locate it.  
  
"I don't think I'm quite the pupil you are, Elizabeth," Will said as he looked at her pleadingly. "All I hear is noise."  
  
Will couldn't believe he couldn't master something so simple as dancing when he was able to wield a sword and fence as readily as he did. He guessed that Elizabeth must have sensed his frustration because she came over and took his hand in hers. Her hand was smooth and soft compared to his calloused skin; it felt wonderful.  
  
"Here, let me see if I can't show you what you're looking for," Elizabeth said calmly as she started drumming lightly on his palm.  
  
Will felt his self-control slipping slightly.  
  
"You feel that?" Elizabeth asked innocently.  
  
"Mm hmm," was all that Will could muster, she was so close he thought he was going to burst out of himself, but he swallowed it and kept control.  
  
"Now notice how the music falls into the beat, how if you listen, everything plays into these four counts?" Elizabeth asked completely ignorant of Will's slipping resolve to stay away from her.  
  
Will was desperately trying to concentrate on what she was saying, knowing that it held importance, but forgetting the moment she said it anyway. He kept his entire focus on her soft fingers drumming against his rough palm. He tried to answer her question, but his mouth wouldn't respond, he felt almost sick with want of her, he couldn't think, couldn't move. How could she still be so close!?  
  
Suddenly the contact was broken as she moved back to the stereo and Will's control and mind came back to him instantly. He scrambled to try and put together her instructions, to make sense of them, but the dull throbbing in his head was distracting him entirely too much.  
  
Then Will paused as he put two and two together, the dull throbbing in the back of his head matched the pattern that Elizabeth had drummed on the palm of his hand! That was it! That was the beat, the rhythm and the heart of the music! Will could understand it now; how each throb encompassed a secession of notes and that these notes came together to fit a grander pattern. It actually was quite impressive if you stopped to think about it. But more importantly he could now dance like Elizabeth!  
  
"Are you listening Will?" Elizabeth said as she stopped the stereo.  
  
Will was snapped back to reality. "Umm, yes I think I understand now," he said as he smiled at her sweetly once more.  
  
"Good, lets try it then," she said as she put on a different piece of music.  
  
This one was like something Will had never heard before, it sounded dream- like, almost fake.  
  
"What's this?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Oh it's 'Daft Punk'" Elizabeth stated.  
  
"The Daft what?" Will asked, afraid that this was all some thug's crazy illusion.  
  
Elizabeth chuckled slightly. "No, that's the name of the band, 'Daft Punk'" she explained.  
  
"Oh," Will said, slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Now find the beat," Elizabeth said as she started to bop and spin and step across the living room.  
  
Will watched her adoringly, now that he noticed why she moved the way she did, it was quite beautiful, how she emphasized different moments in the song by moving her body a certain way, he found it entrancing.  
  
Elizabeth suddenly noticed that Will was starring at her, and stopped, looking slightly embarrassed. "Hey, I'm not going to stand here and dance by myself!" she called.  
  
Will fell out of his trance and searched for the throbbing in his head once more. He moved out into the living room and started to mimic Elizabeth slightly.  
  
It was kind of fun, bopping up and down to the music, Will let himself go in the music, let himself slip into the beat and forget about the pressures of the Caribbean, and his attraction to Elizabeth and the fact that he would be leaving her in a few days. He just let his body take over. He didn't even freak out when Elizabeth took his hand and together they grooved, funked, and jived their way through the living room. He was having fun, they were having fun together and it was refreshing. Will could defiantly get used to dancing. That song stopped and another came on but neither of them cared, Elizabeth continued to show Will different styles and kinds of music and together they danced the afternoon away.  
  
*****  
  
Hours felt like minutes and soon, their little dance party came to a close. Elizabeth stopped and looked at her watch, realising the lateness of the afternoon, and the second trip they had to make that day.  
  
"Come on Will, we have to go," she said as she moved to the stereo, turning off Michael Jackson in the process. She had such a great time that afternoon, Will was so willing (pardon the pun) to learn and try new things. Once he had gotten the basics down, the two of them just spent hours jump, jive and wailing around her apartment, it was great.  
  
But now the two had other things to do.  
  
"Where do we have to go?" Will asked as he stopped, looking rather disappointed.  
  
Elizabeth laughed slightly at Will's expression; he was adorable. "Shopping," she said as she grabbed her purse and pulled Will toward the door. "Oh don't forget the sunglasses and beanie I got you, remember we're trying to be inconspicuous."  
  
"Shopping?" cried Will, but it was too late, the bug had been planted and Elizabeth was unknowingly dragging Will toward his worst nightmare, a crowded mall full of crazed shop-a-holics. 


	12. Manic Mall Maddness

Author's note: Well don't say I don't listen to you. here you go, the first of four (that's right FOUR new chapters) now if you want to pace yourself you can, use it to build suspense, but so many people wanted me to post it all so I am. This will most likely be my last post until February 2004 so have a Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate, for me it's Christmas) and a great and creative new year.  
  
Oh and one more thing my writing has been slipping, I think I'm tired so if my chapters seem to be getting lame, sorry but I'll try to fix that next year. K I'm done, have fun!!!!  
  
The mall was alive with the presence of hurried shoppers, like water shooting out the closed off end of a hose, people were exploding out of the corridors, into sporting stores, boutiques, game worlds and cheap restaurants. The busiest shoved past leisurely shoppers with a vengeance as they gave lists of demands on their mobile phones, while the stressed mothers dragged along whiny kids desperate for the latest toy or candy craze. Young couples waltzed up and down corridors oblivious to the utter chaos around them, whispering plans of romance, sultry suggestions, or just plain, sweet, nothings. Many people went by unnoticed to storekeepers, just a wash of colours and heights to the bored attendants. It was hardly an eventful Tuesday evening at the mall for one such shopkeeper.  
  
One couple, he did notice, not exactly blended into the background, but nothing of note either walked the corridors slowly, pausing here and there to look at this or that. There was a young woman, early to mid-twenties at the most, laughing occasionally at the peculiar behaviour of her ambiguous companion. She wasn't anything special to look at, average at most, not too bad, but nothing spectacular either, wearing jeans visibly worn and a plain, coloured T-shirt. She would stand and chuckle slightly at the man, dressed in a baggy pair of jeans a hooded, black sweater (jumper, hoody, whatever!) wearing a stripped, knitted beanie and a pair of old sunglasses, as he would examine a toaster, or vacuum or computer with the utmost care and attention. He would then realize the woman was laughing at him stand up in an abrupt and almost offended way, she would make what looked like an apology and then he would shrug and they would continue on to the next store, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, as if all the arguments of the past didn't matter. The shopkeeper chuckled at the young couple, he had known what it was like to be young and in love once, as this couple so obviously was, but his had ended badly. He hoped their luck was better.  
  
The shopkeepers attention was turned back to the store as another young man, this time in the later twenties came up to his desk in a busy and hurried matter. He was handsome but the shopkeeper could tell that his personality left something to be desired, he was too rushed and impatient, he needed to relax a little, so the shopkeeper decided to play a little game.  
  
"Good day sir!" the shopkeeper said cheerfully.  
  
"It's actually more like night, man," the man said in an annoyed tone.  
  
This was going to be fun. "Sir, are you aware of our promotional offer this month," The old shopkeeper said sweetly yet again.  
  
"Umm, I really don't have time for that right now I'm trying to find someone," the tone of the man became more abrupt and the shopkeeper knew that he was pushing a button.  
  
That only made his resolve deeper. "Sir it really is a fantastic promotion, you give us your mailing address and we send you a catalogue of our store every month, and for the first three months you receive a twenty-five dollar gift certificate absolutely free!" The shopkeeper laid the cheesy cheerfulness on thick.  
  
"Look I really don't have time for this can you just ring through my purchase?" the man began to frantically look out at the store, as if making sure someone was there.  
  
"They may come in while you're doing this sir, the people you're looking for, this is quite a popular stop, and it is a wonderful offer." The shopkeeper didn't budge, he knew he scoring big time on the impatient young man.  
  
"Ok, if I sign up for your little deal will you PLEASE just ring my purchase through and let me leave!" The man was becoming frantic, the shopkeeper decided to let him go.  
  
"Ok, sir I'm going to need your name and mailing address," the shopkeeper continued as he slowly reached back and grabbed a pen and random piece of paper.  
  
"Bradford Shanigan," the man said grumpily.  
  
"Now is that an R or just A-D, after the B?" the shopkeeper teased.  
  
"Oh, for the. Let me do it," the grumpy 'Bradford' said.  
  
"If you wish sir, we're only here to please," The shopkeeper said as he rang the man's purchase through.  
  
"Yeah, I'm so sure," 'Bradford' said sarcastically.  
  
"You know sir, you should really try and relax sometimes, take time to enjoy what's around you. You may find that it improves your personality." The shopkeeper said bluntly, as he handed 'Bradford' his things.  
  
"Yeah, whatever, thanks," 'Bradford' said as he bolted out of the store and took off down the same direction the young couple had taken.  
  
The shopkeeper chuckled slightly as he wadded up the paper and threw it into the rubbish bin; the young man had brought it on himself. He looked once to see if the funny couple was around, but they had left. He sighed while trying to work out why there couldn't be more people like those two coming into his store.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth chuckled at Will again as he studied a food processor in the window of a department store. Though he was apprehensive at first Will had quickly became engrossed in the technology of the twenty-first century. For the past hour he had done nothing but explore, inspect and ask questions over every foreign thing he saw, and in a mall with over three hundred and fifty-four shops that was quite a bit. Elizabeth was awed by his sheer enthusiasm and desire to learn, it was amazing. It was refreshing.  
  
"Hey techno boy," Elizabeth called to him before he could cut off any of the chestnut locks which hung dangerously close to the demonstrating julienne attachment. "I think we'd better get what we came here for," she said with a smile.  
  
Will perked to attention almost immediately. "Oh, yes of course Elizabeth, it is just that this is all so."  
  
"Amazing, incredible, advanced, pick one I've heard them all from you today," she said as she grabbed his arm and lead him into the nearest trend setting clothing boutique. She was amazed at how relaxed he'd become now that they were out in the open, learning more about her world and about each other.  
  
"So why do I need new clothes?" Will asked as Elizabeth began looking through clothing racks in the men's section, trying to find something befitting a handsome, dashing pirate.  
  
"Because you won't get into the dance club wearing jeans and a sweater," Elizabeth replied. "And I told you not to talk too much, people recognize your voice you know, we're trying to keep a low profile," she finished as she held up a stripped, button-up shirt, decided it wasn't his colour and put it back.  
  
"Right, and I think I'll need a bigger size than that," Will said as Elizabeth held up a tiny paisley patterned vest.  
  
This wasn't easy; Elizabeth had never shopped for a man before. She decided the best course of action would be to try and get a second opinion so she took Will over to the counter and waited patiently for an attendant to finish. It took so long that Elizabeth had to clear her throat rather loudly in order to get her attention.  
  
The attendant turned around and Elizabeth disliked her immediately, she was wearing the latest styles, pristine and manicured with perfectly placed hair, a gorgeous and no doubt expensive body and a smile (more of a sneer actually) that told the world she was going to get anything she wanted. Her eyes turned down as she looked at Elizabeth's frumpy T-shirt and jeans, giving off an instant air of disapproval which was palpable to both her and Will.  
  
"Are you purchasing something?" The attendant said in a voice that sounded more hostile than customer service oriented.  
  
Elizabeth balked immediately, not expecting such an openly demeaning response. "Umm. me and my friend were looking for a second opinion. You see there's this dance and. Umm," Elizabeth couldn't help it; she became all tongue-tied around snooty people like the store attendant.  
  
The attendant was unimpressed. "You may want to check our sales rack, our seasonal wear may be a little out of your price range," she said with a smile that was more condescending than considerate.  
  
Elizabeth understood the full meaning of that comment, and couldn't believe that the snooty attendant would have the audacity to say such things.  
  
"I assure you, madam that I am financially capable of purchasing anything that I want," was the best come back that Elizabeth could come up with. She'd had enough of this and she grabbed Will's arm and turned him away from the counter.  
  
"Come on," Elizabeth said rather loudly, not caring about conspicuousness at the moment. "I was going to ask for help, but I suppose her precious time is too valuable to waste on simpletons like us," Elizabeth said as she and Will began to walk away. She hated people like that! All judgemental and up themselves, this was not the side of her time she wanted Will to see.  
  
She was shocked at the response she heard from the store attendant. "What amazes me more is how a simpleton like you could wind up with such an obviously above average boyfriend. What did you pay him to come along with you to make you feel better about your average looks and obviously horrible dress sense?" came the snooty accusation from behind.  
  
Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks, insulting her was one thing, ok sure it hurt when you were called simple, average and told you had a horrible dress sense, but Elizabeth had always known that she had never been all that spectacular. It was the dig at Will's honour that really ticked her off. In her mind, she formulated the single greatest comeback she had ever thought of and prepared to do damage.  
  
But she never got her chance as Will broke out of her grasp whirled around, in the process letting his sunglasses slip slightly, marched right up to the attendant and started laying into her.  
  
"Why you conceded, pompous, arrogant fool! How dare you insult Elizabeth in such a way!" Will said with a burning fiery passion that left Elizabeth, the attendant, and the rest of the store speechless. "If you could take a short pause from your selfish vanity, you would realise that a woman like Elizabeth is with me because her beauty is so all encompassing that it radiates from her like heat from a blazing fire! It shines from her like the light of a candle pierces the darkness and gives such energy that it out powers the sun! To people with your eyes, with those who are too ignorant to look past the surface of an individual because of all the character flaws within themselves, it may be hard to recognise. But rest assured, that to me Elizabeth's beauty is as plain as morning daylight." Will turned back to Elizabeth, who was still speechless, and frozen in shock. The whole store stood still for what seemed like forever until one individual was brave enough to speak.  
  
"How dreadful, you have been behaving Sabrina!" the store manager yelled as she rushed from behind the counter and ran up to Will and Elizabeth.  
  
"What?" came the response from all three parties involved in the argument.  
  
"You must excuse, her sir. She's new and arrogant as anything; I only keep her around because she knows so much about fashion. You must not let her poor attitude reflect the image of our store," she said, placing all of her focus on Will while Elizabeth stood off to the side.  
  
"What she did was atrocious," came Will's reply as he turned again and tried to leave the store. The manager would have none of it.  
  
"Umm. you and your lady friend said you were looking for clothes for a dance! Let the store pick you out an outfit free of charge, as a sign of apology!" the store manager was practically begging Will to reconsider and Elizabeth couldn't believe that they had taken his rebuke of the attendant so seriously. None the less if they wanted to apologize with free merchandise, Elizabeth wasn't one to decline.  
  
"I don't think." Will began.  
  
"That one outfit will do," Elizabeth cut in, handing Will his dropped sunglasses.  
  
"What, your serious?" Will was bewildered that Elizabeth would except a peace offering from such lowly people.  
  
"Absolutely, I believe in forgiveness," Elizabeth said with a smile. "It would be a shame after all to pass up all these lovely clothes."  
  
"Well in that case Elizabeth gets two outfits as well," Will said defiantly.  
  
"Two outfits!" Sabrina chocked out before the store manager could silence her with an icy glare.  
  
"Yes, two," Will said smugly.  
  
"I only need one," Elizabeth said, not wanting to push her luck. She was impressed with Will, but didn't know how long his gentlemanly ways would work against the snooty attendants.  
  
"One then," corrected Will. "Do we have an accord?" he asked smugly to the shop attendant and manager.  
  
"It would be our pleasure to serve you. both," the manager said as she smiled up at Will and then half smiled/sneered at Elizabeth. "Right this way."  
  
The Manager led them to a secluded change room with a large lounge chair and a wall entirely filled with mirrors. A couple of small booths were lined up each with mirrors and dance music was playing in the background.  
  
"I hope you find this comfortable, now just sit tight while we find something for the two of you." Elizabeth noticed that the manager kept looking at Will's sunglasses, as if trying to catch a glimpse of something in their reflection. "Would you mind taking your sunglasses off sir? I need to check the colour of your eyes in order to bring out the best in your features," the manager said in a strange tone.  
  
That was a little too much to expose for Elizabeth's comfort.  
  
"His eyes are a deep chocolate brown, and there very sensitive to light, so he'll be keeping the glasses on, thanks," Elizabeth said snarkily as she sat down.  
  
The manager glared at her and then left the room.  
  
"Man I hate retail shopping," Elizabeth sighed as soon as the manager rounded the corner.  
  
"Do not listen to a word those women say Elizabeth, not ever," Will said in a serious tone.  
  
Elizabeth chuckled lightly at Will's concern.  
  
"Don't worry Will, I've been dealing with their judgements long before today and I'll deal with them long after. People like me just have to get used to that." Elizabeth sighed and started to play with her shoelaces, she had forgotten how much she hated shopping.  
  
"I don't understand what you mean by, 'people like you'," Will asked in sincerity.  
  
Elizabeth wasn't in the mood to explain it to him it was a sensitive subject. "Oh come on Will! When people like you enter a room, people stop and take notice, women mostly. I mean, when you enter the room it's like all my oxygen is sucked out and I can't breathe anymore because you look so good. I just wasn't born like that, I can't make people fall in love with me at first glance like you can," Elizabeth said dreamily.  
  
Then she paused. had she just said that out loud?  
  
It seemed as though she had, because Will was starting to get a lot closer.  
  
"I never knew you felt that way," he said softly.  
  
Elizabeth freaked immediately. "I don't umm. I mean I did, might have, before when you. umm. at first before you came and then." This was not smart, admitting to rebound guy that you thought he was hot and still might is not smart when he has kiss-happy lips and you have a deadline to meet.  
  
Nonetheless, Will was getting closer. 


	13. The Perils of Mr Bloo I mean Turner

Author's note: So you liking it so far? This chapter is dedicated specifically to the Venture squad, whom none of you most likely know but they are the ones who pushed me to write this story. Also, to Lauren, I know you are probably nothing like your character but I'd already written this bit and so inserted your name in instead of writing your own part, I hope you still think it's fun. Oh and besides the Venture Squad, this chapter is dedicated to any reader who knows where I got the vegetable joke. obsession is so much fun to write about. So here's to all you Orli fans, this ones for you! Oh and I tried to make Will hot, did I succeed? Oh I'll post the second two chapters tomorrow, I suddenly realised it's very late!  
  
"Hey look! It's the snooty shop attendant! Hi how's it going?" Elizabeth said quickly.  
  
"We have some things for you to try on," she said with disinterest as she handed Elizabeth a pile of clothes. "Call me if they're too small," she said while glancing up and down Elizabeth's body, in a derogatory fashion.  
  
"Don't worry I'm sure I'll be just fine," Elizabeth sneered back.  
  
As the attendant turned and went back into the depths of the snooty store, Elizabeth turned and handed Will his half of the pile.  
  
"Ok, you go try on yours and I'll try on mine and we'll both come back out in a minute and see what we think!" Elizabeth smiled as she stepped into the changing room, horribly afraid of what low cut, high-stomached incredibly and uncomfortably revelling things may await her in the pile, but to conscious of Will to express it.  
  
She was surprisingly pleased at what she found, a long pair of khaki pants, fitting at the waist and then flaring slightly at the bottom, with a maroon almost plum loose fitting one-strapped dress to go over it. Elizabeth loved how the dress clung at her top and then cascaded loosely around the khakis to the middle of her thigh, giving an earthy and free feeling to her outfit. She also had a pair of clear sandaled stilettos with about a two- inch heel, she didn't know about those, but she put them on anyway. They sure made a difference in perspective! The outfit was completed with a black sweater with one button in the centre, which accented her bust, while giving an air of innocence and morality. The sweater itself was a little tight across the shoulders so she decided to step out and ask for a bigger size.  
  
She was surprised when she saw Bradford standing there. He took one look at her and did a massive double take.  
  
"Lizzie! You look. wow," was all Bradford was able to sputter.  
  
Elizabeth was a little put off by his sudden attention, she couldn't decide whether she liked it or not, but didn't let it distract her for long.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding a little more annoyed than she actually was.  
  
Bradford's mood change was immediate. "What am I doing here?" he spat at her. "You're the one who is supposedly in grave danger of some internal government conspiracy and so has recruited me to follow your every move. Only to have me find out that you have decided to go on a little shopping spree with your guy here and then force me to go chasing after you, while trying to be inconspicuous leading me to buy something from a store I've never been in, to sign up for free vouchers that I will never use, and duck past the snooty attendants of some overpriced clothing store in order not to be seen with you, and you ask me what I'm doing here? What do you think you're doing here missy?!" Bradford said impatiently.  
  
"We are trying on clothes for a dance," Will said matter-of-factly as he stepped out of the change room.  
  
Elizabeth whirled at the sound of his voice as he stepped out of the change room and promptly was blown out of her mind as she was confronted with how utterly and fantastically stunning he looked.  
  
He still had his beanie on (toque for all those Canadians out there!!) jammed quickly on to hide his hat hair no doubt, so a mass of loose curls hung around his neck. He'd taken his sunglasses off and so his gorgeous chocolate eyes were now visible to the world, beaming with a look of hopeful approval. He was visibly annoyed at Bradford's sudden appearance, but astonished with Elizabeth at the same time, liking what he saw.  
  
But his clothes were what made him stand out; they were spectacular! It was simple, but he made it astonishingly sexy. He wore black clunky shoes, with paint splattered jeans straight boot-cut, with a white tank under a faded chocolate brown shirt, showing his toned and tanned body while enhancing his perfect eyes to the point of exhaustion upon viewing. He was almost too hot to look at. Elizabeth needed air, and soon if she was going to exhibit any self-control. She feared even Bradford's presence wouldn't keep her from breaking down in a giggle and drooling fit that very instant.  
  
"Umm, the top was too small, I'm going to go see if they have a bigger one," was all she managed to blurt out. No comment or compliment, she felt if she started she would never stop.  
  
Quickly Elizabeth tried to find her way to the front of the store, or the nearest fire-escape for some badly needed fresh air, or someone with a photographic memory so she could describe Will to them and then have them repeat his description to her all day, everyday. She never wanted to forget that look! What she did stumble upon was the two people she least wanted to see at the moment, the store manager and snooty attendant.  
  
"Lauren why the heck did you let those two dithering, fashion-starved idiots continue their egregious presence in our store!?" the snooty one said.  
  
"Sabrina are you blind?!" Lauren answered back.  
  
"Only if you're crazy." Sabrina retorted.  
  
Elizabeth was having fun listening to their conversation despite their dig at her and Will.  
  
"Didn't you see the man's eyes as his glasses fell when he was screaming at you?" Lauren said in disbelief.  
  
"No, I was to busy being offended," Sabrina defended.  
  
"Well, if you were not so busy with yourself you would have realised that the man in there has the potential to put you through graduate school!" Lauren retorted.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sabrina asked bewildered.  
  
"You dolt don't you read the papers? Who do you know who is famous and just may be in our town this week for a movie premiere?" Lauren asked becoming impatient with Sabrina's ignorance.  
  
"Ben Stiller?" Sabrina answered.  
  
Lauren rolled her eyes, and Elizabeth in the background got a twisted feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"You are thick aren't you," Lauren half-yelled out of frustration. "Orlando Bloom! Orlando Bloom is in one of our change rooms putting on one-hundred and fifty dollars in free merchandise!"  
  
The look of shock on Sabrina's face would have been comical if Elizabeth hadn't been eating Bradford's words at that moment.  
  
"The Orlando Bloom! Are you sure!?" Sabrina managed to choke out.  
  
"Positive," Lauren answered with a greedy grin in her eyes. "Think of the publicity for the store if we can get a picture of him and his average girlfriend."  
  
"Really, I don't know what he sees in her," Sabrina interrupted coldly.  
  
"She probably has a 'great personality'," Lauren snickered.  
  
Both laughed shrilly and Elizabeth tried to keep herself from blowing her cover as the rage inside her built. At the same time she was panicking, they had found her out! Bradford was right! They couldn't go out without being recognised.  
  
Elizabeth suddenly had a new found respect for the actual Orlando Bloom, what would it be like to go through this every time you left the house? It must be horrible, to think that if you were anyone else, you could have a normal life and leave the house with out being mobbed or judged or bribe attempted. Then Elizabeth had a thought, a deliciously deceptive and classically confusing thought that she decided to put into action.  
  
*****  
  
All too soon Elizabeth heard the voices of the snooty attendants returning, she practically begged the change room door to open, time was running out! But it was too late, Sabrina and Lauren had rounded the corner equipped with cheesy grins and a small digital camera.  
  
"Since everything is all cleared up we were wondering if you may be willing to pose for a photograph, as a part of our VIP members program," the manger, Lauren, asked all too politely.  
  
Elizabeth was trapped; she had to comply if she didn't want to make a scene.  
  
"Umm. sure," she said reluctantly.  
  
"We'll just wait for your friend," Sabrina, the snooty one said a tad impatiently.  
  
"Sure, he'll only be a minute, oh here he is now!" Elizabeth's voice cracked slightly from the nervousness of the tense situation.  
  
Lauren wasted no time, "Ok you two, line up and smile." Elizabeth was surprised when she stopped and hoped that maybe Lauren had decided against the picture, but dreaded what she heard next.  
  
"Could you take off your sunglasses sir? It would only be for a short second, just for the picture," Lauren was practically begging.  
  
"Umm." a quick nod from Elizabeth and the glasses came off, a shining pair off baby blue eyes shining back.  
  
Lauren was visibly shaken and this time Elizabeth's smile was genuine. As quickly as this whole situation was started it was finished, once the manager realised that her previous assumption that the star of Pirates of the Caribbean was shopping in her store was false, she lost interest, rang the free purchase through and sent a beaming Elizabeth, and Bradford out of the store and into the throng of the mall.  
  
Elizabeth was unable to hold it in any longer, and as she rounded the corner she burst out laughing.  
  
"Did you see their faces?" she chortled as Bradford reached into the pocket of his new outfit and pulled out Miss Mackin's new satellite phone.  
  
Elizabeth had rushed frantically back and told Will and Bradford to swap clothes, Bradford had been reluctant at first, but when Elizabeth promised him the other outfit meant for Will, he complied. Will had slipped out quietly before and was now wandering the mall, waiting for a call from Elizabeth. That is if he'd remembered the operating instructions for Elizabeth's mobile phone.  
  
"Yeah I did and you're lucky I was here to back you up, because they were serious about that whole promotion thing, until they realised it was me that is," Bradford said sternly.  
  
"Well that's why you're here isn't it," Elizabeth chuckled.  
  
"I'm serious Elizabeth, I may not always be there and you have to be careful!" there was a maturity to Bradford's voice which Elizabeth didn't like, wasn't used to.  
  
"At any rate, give me your phone, I need to call Will," Elizabeth finished.  
  
"Yeah whatever," Bradford mumbled as he handed over the phone.  
  
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone from him. She dialled her mobile number and hoped that Will wasn't too freaked out by her "Yo-Ho A Pirate's Life for Me" ring tone. She waited briefly and breathed a sigh of relief as Will picked up. rather loudly.  
  
"Elizabeth is that you?" he yelled.  
  
Elizabeth had to hold the phone away from her ear it was so loud. "Yeah Will it's me, where are you?" she asked quietly into the receiver hoping he would get the message. He didn't.  
  
"It is hard to hear you! I'm standing by a large yellow 'M', there are some people staring at me so I suggest you hurry!" Will again said with much too much volume.  
  
"I'll be right there, don't move and stop talking!" Elizabeth yelled into the receiver.  
  
"Alright!" Will yelled a final time, before Elizabeth cut the line.  
  
Elizabeth chuckled again slightly, "Come on Bradford," she said quietly.  
  
"Where's Will?" Bradford asked.  
  
"McDonald's let's go get him, I'm done with shopping," Elizabeth said as she led through the way through the shoppers, toward the waiting Will.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth threw the clothing bag down with a sigh. She had hoped that once her and Bradford had met up with Will, they would have been able to quietly slip out of the mall and go home. She had been horribly wrong. Not only had it taken ages to get through the crowd to the food court, but once there she had the misfortune of finding out why.  
  
Teams of girls had been swarming around Will, who looked like a frightened kitten alone and helpless. Immediately Elizabeth realised that without the sunglasses Will was entirely recognisable as Orlando Bloom! She had pushed and shoved her way through the crowd, with Bradford dispatching the more frantic of females, until she reached Will who was being accosted by a jumpy blond, a shorter red-head and their towering friend.  
  
*****  
  
"Oh my Gosh!" the jumpy one cried first.  
  
"Dude, are you like. Orlando Bloom?" the tall one said second.  
  
"I admire and respect you so much," the red head added finally.  
  
Will was sweating and looked more terrified by the second. "I assure you I have no idea." he started.  
  
"Listen to his accent!" the jumpy one screamed, while jumping around.  
  
"I'm not deaf, Becky I know he has an accent," the tall one scolded her.  
  
"Never mind those two Orli lets talk about you and me," the red head said as she slid in next to Will.  
  
"Umm. excuse me while I. Umm. you see I just have to. umm," Will stammered incoherently.  
  
That brought the others attention back to Will.  
  
"Oi! Brooke! Don't you dare, you little scarlet woman!" The jumpy one called Becky called as she bounded over to Will.  
  
"Hey don't leave me out!" the tall one said as she came over as well.  
  
"Don't worry Chy, me and Orli are just over hear," the red head, Brooke said smoothly as she inched closer to Will.  
  
Elizabeth decided she'd had enough of their manhandling. She put on a brave face as she strode over and shoved the red head named Brooke aside and linked her arm through Will's possessively.  
  
She almost could have laughed at the expression of intense relief on Will's face. "Are you quite through here?" Elizabeth asked smugly to the three obsessed fans.  
  
"Hey back off lady, and get your own superstar, we saw him first," the tall one named Chy spat back at her.  
  
"Superstar?" Elizabeth faked bewilderment.  
  
"Yes, that's Orlando Bloom you're linking arms with," the jumpy Becky called.  
  
"Only the greatest." Red head Brooke started.  
  
"And hottest," Tall Chy added.  
  
"Actor of all time!" Jumpy Becky finished.  
  
Elizabeth was getting as scared as Will seemed to be, for good reason.  
  
"This isn't Orlando Bloom, this is my second cousin Wallace!" Elizabeth cried out, again faking bewilderment.  
  
"Second cousin, come on, that lame excuse is from the movie, I suppose your going to tell us he's a eunuch next, right?" Tall Chy snorted.  
  
"I'm telling you the truth, this is my second cousin Wallace," Elizabeth lied.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Red head Brooke spat.  
  
"YES!" Elizabeth cried.  
  
"We need a test!" Jumpy Becky called out loudly.  
  
"What's your favourite vegetable?" Red head Brooke asked suddenly.  
  
"Umm." Will was still in utter shock.  
  
"Forget it, Brooke everyone knows his favourite vegetable is carrot, ask something really personal!" Tall Chy yelled at Red head Brooke.  
  
"You fraud, his favourite is broccoli! I can't believe you didn't know that, you call yourself my friend!?" Red head Brooke screeched.  
  
"Bring it on!" Tall Chy yelled, as her and Red head Brooke engaged in a catfight.  
  
"Now, back to the test," Jumpy Becky said calmly for a change.  
  
Elizabeth was getting a little bored with this. "Look, me and my cousin really need to go," Elizabeth said as she began to drag Will out of the crowd.  
  
"Look, you can't just take Orlando away from us!" Jumpy Becky called after her, as she resumed jumping.  
  
"He's not Orlando!" Elizabeth yelled back. At least that was true. 


	14. Cross Consequences

Author's note: I know I said four new chapters, but I juggled my story a bit so now it's three more, slightly shorter chapters. I want to know if my characters are still believable, does Will still seem like Will? Does Elizabeth still seem like Elizabeth? I don't know I think I'm in a bit of a funk. At any rate here's chapter 14.  
  
The crowd of enthralled fans was almost to much for Elizabeth, who had lost Bradford but at that point hadn't cared. She'd just left with Will eager to get back to the quiet of her apartment. The drive home had been silent, both parties reliving the events of the past twenty minutes, and now that they were back and Elizabeth could relax. She took time to realise the comedy in the situation, she had just stolen Orlando away from a group of adoring fans, and they must have been so disappointed. Oh well, there was nothing she could do, nothing she wanted to do. Seeing all those girls fawning over Will had just re-affirmed her need to send him back into the screen. It made her tired and cross, she just wanted to sleep.  
  
Will on the other hand was still shocked and it seemed as though he wanted to discuss his problems before turning in.  
  
"Are they always like that?" he asked as he came in behind Elizabeth and shut the door.  
  
"Who? Fans or girls in general," Elizabeth snorted warily.  
  
Will looked slightly confused. "Umm. both I think."  
  
"Fans yes, girls. most of the time," Elizabeth answered pondering and recalling her own teenage years.  
  
There was always someone, some poster boy, or rebel without a cause that she seemed to be fawning over, it had been fun. It still was, especially when you could fawn in the comfort of your own living room. Elizabeth chuckled slightly and then snapped back to reality as Will asked another question.  
  
"Would that happen wherever I went?" Will asked again.  
  
"Most likely," came Elizabeth's tired response.  
  
"That's terrifying," came Will's solemn response.  
  
Elizabeth's interest was suddenly piqued. "Really?" she asked.  
  
"Yes." Came Will's response a little hesitantly after seeing Elizabeth's reaction. "I am sure you would to, if you had strange people chasing you and offering you stuffed toys, or strange food, or lifting up their shirts at you," he said rather sheepishly.  
  
"What!?" came Elizabeth's immediate shocked response.  
  
"Just before you came, one of the girls, I think it was the tall one, lifted her shirt and asked me to sign her stomach, I was shocked! I moved away as quickly as possible but they just kept pursuing, it was maddening," he said with the utmost of seriousness.  
  
Elizabeth chuckled a little louder, and Will looked at her strangely. "I suppose this is supposed to be funny?" he scolded.  
  
"No it's just that you're not like your counterpart in that respect at all." Elizabeth answered back. "He loves that kind of stuff."  
  
"Really, how could you it's terrifying!" came Will's shocked response.  
  
Elizabeth smiled and chuckled a little, her tiredness abating. "He revels in it, plays along all the time, I'm surprised the fans didn't realise you weren't him just because you didn't insist that you lift up your shirt have them sign your belly too."  
  
If Will thought he was shocked before, he was blown away at that. "He does that!" he said bewildered.  
  
"I wouldn't put it past him, he is kind of a crazy guy, very much his own person, that's one of the reasons the girls go crazy for him, he's so different from your typical twentieth century heartthrob. I mean while yes he's "hot" you know gorgeous eyes and body and handsome features and stuff he's really." Elizabeth suddenly caught herself, did she really want to be describing to Will all of the things she loved about Orlando Bloom? It didn't seem terribly tactful.  
  
Will noticed the sudden stop. "No, continue," he said.  
  
Elizabeth was a little taken aback; she didn't think Will was the shameless self-flattery type.  
  
"You really want to know why I like this guy?" she asked, puzzled.  
  
"It's interesting, to note differences and similarities between us," Will said sheepishly.  
  
Elizabeth got a devilish idea and decided it was time to exercise Will's sense of humour a little further.  
  
"Oh, like since you both look exactly the same, me thinking he has gorgeous eyes and body and handsome features, automatically means that I think you have gorgeous eyes and body and handsome features as well?" Elizabeth teased.  
  
"Among other things I hope," Will answered back still a little sheepish.  
  
"Oh, now it comes out!" Elizabeth really started to put herself into her game, mocking shock as she looked at Will. "See the dashing, charming, and chivalrous Will they all show us in the movie is none other than a vain believer in shameless self-promotion! I should have known, no one who looks that good can't be in love with himself, you're more like Orlando than I thought." Elizabeth laughed, as she jumped up and pointed a finger accusingly at him.  
  
She was releasing her stress at Will's expense but she didn't care. Elizabeth was getting tired of pining over him all the time. It could be exhausting, exerting that kind self-control. Besides, Will seemed to be enjoying it. She caught his eye briefly, seeing a bright and mischievous twinkle there.  
  
"How dare ye impune me honour! I am not sick of such self-love as ye say!" Will retorted as he rose and stood toe-to-toe with Elizabeth, puffing out his chest indignantly.  
  
Elizabeth was surprised he'd taken the bait, and quickly came up with a comeback. "Oh, Mr. Pirate, quoting a malicious tyrant of the ocean now are we, well two can play that game, savvy?" Elizabeth said while pulling a Jackish grin. "Now, do we have an accord?" she added for a final touch.  
  
At that Will burst in a peal of giggles, which shocked Elizabeth even more, sending her into a fit of laughter on the floor.  
  
"You're mad!" Will cried between giggle fits.  
  
"Actually I'm in quite a good mood now," Elizabeth retorted quickly, sending Will into deeper fits of laughter.  
  
"By George, I think I've done it!" Elizabeth said softly as she stopped and looked at the crippled Will on the floor.  
  
"Done what?" Will said as his laughter subsided slightly.  
  
"Cured Will Turner of his infamous melancholy," Elizabeth smiled.  
  
Will was instantly serious "Who says I have melancholy." Will pondered the grammar there. "I mean, that I'm melancholic?" he asked sternly.  
  
"That's one of the main differences between you and Orlando I think," Elizabeth started seriously.  
  
"What?" Will prodded.  
  
"He loves himself, and you hate yourself," she said quietly.  
  
"I don't hate myself," Will said seriously.  
  
"Oh, so you practise sword fighting three hours a day, and spend the rest of your day working on swords for you to practise with because it's fun," Elizabeth retorted.  
  
"Well. yes!" Will stumbled indignantly.  
  
"Please, don't try to fool me Will Turner, I know what goes on in that head of yours, you never feel worthy enough so you just keep practising hoping someday, you'll be able to prove yourself. And then, when you finally do manage to prove yourself, you hide your feelings and go on brooding like some sort of woe betide," Elizabeth had lost all of her joking manor and was now just annoyed.  
  
"I'm hiding my feelings," Will said as he raised his voice sharply, startling Elizabeth somewhat. "What about you? You never let anyone in! You are too busy demeaning yourself to realise that you are a worthwhile person who people are actually attracted to!" Elizabeth was jarred by Will's comment, but wouldn't let him see it.  
  
"We're not talking about me, we're talking about you." She said sharply, in an attempt to change the subject. "You are so ashamed of your past, when it should be something you embrace, a part of your heritage that gives you the potential to move above the set boundaries around and actually rise above them." Elizabeth explained harshly.  
  
"How does being the orphaned son of a pirate help me in any way?" Will asked, loathing the sentence as it escaped his lips.  
  
"Your father was a pirate, a good man who had a passion in him which couldn't be controlled by the harsh aristocracy he found himself in. So he saw what he didn't like and he changed it, he refused to conform, and he became his own person. He loved and lost like any other person, but unlike so many people at that time, he did it on his own terms." Elizabeth could hardly believe the words pouring out of her mouth, she didn't readily speak her mind, what was in her heart, but she couldn't help herself.  
  
"How do you know about my father?" Will asked accusingly. "Is this some part of the movie?"  
  
"No," Elizabeth said sternly. "I know what your father is like because I see him struggling to break free in you. You carry the passion he has, you have the desires he has, to effect change in your life, to follow your dreams, to take what you want without looking back. You are just too blinded by shame of him to realise it!"  
  
Elizabeth sat down on the bed, tired and sad that the day, which had been so fun, had been a breakthrough in their relationship, in the end of the day had turned into another bickering match.  
  
"So I don't take what I want, I don't allow myself to change the world around me and I hide all my passion," Will said scathingly as he lay down on his bed, at the foot of Elizabeth's. "Hmm, that's interesting, considering I have been doing nothing but hold back my feelings for you for the past three days, in an attempt to be a gentleman, because you told me to! Now that's what you call ironic." Will said as Elizabeth saw him turn away from her.  
  
Elizabeth was slightly confused as to what had just taken place, and the meaning behind it. "What?" she called out to Will, hoping for some sort of explanation.  
  
"I'm tired Elizabeth, good night," Will said sharply, his back still turned to her.  
  
Elizabeth couldn't believe it, she'd been stupid enough to get the most wonderful man she'd ever met, not talking to her. She'd never felt more idiotic in her entire life. 


	15. Tension

Author's note: Here's something surprising, a chapter I actually like! I think it's cause Will is just such an awesome character to write, I do have so much fun with him. Oh and some people are skimping on reviews! I knew that would happen if I posted more than one chapter at once! Mind you it is a crime I am guilty of as well, I just wish I had more feedback about each chapter. But no pressure I told you I'd post them all before I left and I am. So here's chapter 15.  
  
Elizabeth had hoped to talk to Will in the morning, to straighten things out, but he had been cold and unresponsive. It seemed as though every time she attempted to make an apology the two of them would start arguing, and one of them would end up stewing in the bathroom.  
  
Elizabeth had finally given up and left Will to his reading while she prepared for the evening. Now they were on their way to the club, on their way to finding out how to crack the computer and send Will out of her life entirely and Elizabeth didn't even have the nerve to apologise.  
  
The car was quiet, both parties focused entirely on the other, both stewing over things past said and both too prideful to take the first step.  
  
Elizabeth decided to try and make small talk, feeling anything was better than silence.  
  
"I never told you how awesome you looked in those clothes Will, they really suit you," she said lightly.  
  
"I would tell you how speechless I was when I first saw you as I stepped out of the changing room, how you knocked the breath out of me because you were so stunning, and how I still think you are absolutely beautiful, but you would most likely think I was trying to kiss you again, so I'll remain silent," he retorted coldly.  
  
Ouch. That killed Elizabeth, the only thing was he was right. Had he done that she would have thought he was only trying to get on with her.  
  
"Ok, I deserved that," Elizabeth said silently to herself.  
  
Gratefully she saw the club in the distance.  
  
"There it is Will, Maria's Party Palace. Do you remember what I told you?" she said softly, gingerly.  
  
"Do not look at anyone, do not talk to anyone, try not to let people know that I exist, does that about cover it all?" he sneered at her.  
  
"Yes," Elizabeth said sheepishly. "I just don't want you to be recognised is all, the last thing we need is another scene like in the mall yesterday." She kept attempting to lighten the mood.  
  
Will kept shooting her down. "I'm not sure, maybe I should act more like the Orlando Bloom you keep telling me about, then maybe I will finally be able to get your attention," he sneered.  
  
This was going well, Elizabeth was punching the accelerator, trying frantically to reach the club. She'd never seen Will this harsh, he was a child sent to time out, throwing a tantrum the entire way.  
  
Not soon enough they had reached the club and turned the car over to the valet, who kept looking at Will in a condescending way. Elizabeth noticed that the women in the crowd kept looking at Will as well. She looked at him again and realised why.  
  
Will was styling, in a p-h-a-t kinda way. His mussed brown curls were hanging around his face, playfully hiding his gorgeous eyes, on occasion adding a mystery to his smooth walk and movement. He had a grace and stature that had been lost in the twentieth century, plus he looked exactly like Orlando Bloom.  
  
Elizabeth grabbed Will's arm, pulling him toward the door and the bouncer, she had to get him out of the public eye before someone caught on.  
  
"You on the list?" the towering mass of black bouncer boomed down at them.  
  
Elizabeth was instantly intimidated, the towering man, glaring down at her was slightly more than she could handle. "Umm, should I be?" she asked weakly.  
  
"Look, lady if you're not on the list." the bouncer started to shake a finger at her menacingly.  
  
"No I think I'm on the list! I just. it's just that. I think that. I'm supposed to," Elizabeth was trying hard to put a sentence together but it wasn't working famously for her.  
  
"Listen lady I don't have time for." the big black guy started to shake his finger at Elizabeth again, but didn't get very far as Will came out of no where, grabbed his arm and twisted it around his back, crippling the large black man instantly.  
  
"You don't have time to keep me and my friend waiting," Will said sternly. "We're here on an appointment with Hen, so you will be letting me and my lady friend through, savvy?" Will said with an almost fierce, Jackish expression.  
  
"Yes sir," the bouncer said in a high-pitched almost frightened tone.  
  
"Thank you," Will said, as he let go of the bouncer, grabbed Elizabeth's hand and marched them both into the club.  
  
Once they got inside, Will let go of her hand and let out his breath in a sigh. Elizabeth was stunned, what had that been, she'd never seen Will so tense and scary.  
  
"What was that?" she asked in the same, almost frightened tone, displayed by the bouncer.  
  
"That was me embracing my Pirate side, and rather foolishly I'd say," he said with an almost smile.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Elizabeth asked, still a little confused.  
  
"That man was huge! He could have flattened me!" Will said glancing back at the door as if it may change its mind and spit him back out into the street.  
  
Elizabeth gave a little chuckle, grateful for the release in tension. "Come on, we only have ten minutes to find Hen before he closes the door," Elizabeth said as she grabbed Will's hand and led him into the depths of the club.  
  
*****  
  
Will was still angry at Elizabeth, still hurt by her denial of his feelings for her. But he had more important things to focus on right now.  
  
One was his display of ruthlessness, what was that? He hadn't thought, just seen the man scaring Elizabeth and snapped. It had scared him, he had put both of them in danger, he had thought foolishly and only chance luck had saved him from being ground into a bloody pulp by the huge man.  
  
Second was the blaring noise of the music and crowd within the club. He had gotten used to the music at Elizabeth's apartment, been comfortable with it, but here he couldn't find the beat, because his head was throbbing everywhere. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't think, it was all so loud! And people were everywhere, bodies on his left and right, men and women all moving and bopping to the music.  
  
Will squeezed Elizabeth's hand a little more tightly as she led him through the throng and out to a balcony that overlooked a massive crowd of seething bodies below them.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Will shouted above the noise.  
  
"Look for a door, an extra room, an opening, something that Hen could use discreetly," Elizabeth yelled back.  
  
Will scanned the dance floor, looking at the closet walls for any sort of opening. He wasn't willing to brave that massive throw of people below them.  
  
"I can't see anything!" Will yelled.  
  
When he turned to Elizabeth because she gave no response he saw a grave look on her face. He followed her eyes and saw a small door guarded by a smartly dressed and obviously paranoid man across the room, directly through the maddened crowd.  
  
"Are you sure it's him?" Will called to her.  
  
"Positive," he saw her mouth sadly.  
  
"Can we go around?" He yelled to her again.  
  
"No, we have no time," she shouted as she pointed to her watch. "We only have eight minutes left, we have to go straight through."  
  
"Okay," Will said as he prepared himself.  
  
"Take my hand," Elizabeth said as she searched for his.  
  
Will had never feared anything in his whole life more than that crowded mass of people. So many things depended on whether they were feeling generous enough to let him pass. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand, and suddenly confidence shot through him, it was her confidence, in him.  
  
"Don't let go," came Elizabeth's stern warning.  
  
"I won't," for a moment the two just looked at each other, both scared, but both knowing that they trusted enough in each other to pull through this.  
  
"Let's go dancing," he said with a feigned smile.  
  
Together they moved down the stairs and out onto the dance floor, it was mad, the energy within the crowd was palatable. Bodies were everywhere rubbing against one another in sometimes suggestive and sometimes threatening ways. Will and Elizabeth entered and immediately began to get lost in the crowd. It was impossible to tell where they were, the direction of the door which had been so clear to them before was now lost as they were pushed one way or another.  
  
Will struggled to hold onto Elizabeth's hand as they danced their way through the crowd. People were bumping and jolting them and Will felt his grip tighten involuntarily. He pushed the people out of his mind and tried to focus. He wasn't here, he was back in Elizabeth's apartment and they were dancing alone together. There were no other people, they hadn't fought and everything would be all right, they could just keep dancing. Will relaxed slightly, momentarily lost in his reverie, he could handle it, he just had to keep focused. He wasn't in a crowd of people in a dance club that made Tor'tuga look like the Vatican city, he wasn't moving through a crowd of people with morals more loose than Captain Jack Sparrow's tongue. And that wasn't just a hand that had been feeling dangerously close to the inside of Will's legs.  
  
"Whoa!" he yelled as he forgot everything else and shoved away the drunken woman who was encroaching upon him.  
  
"Aw, come on I was just having a little fun," she sputtered as she spun around, seeking her next victim, and smelling of sour milk.  
  
Then Will realised that he had let go of Elizabeth's hand in an attempt to push the drunken scarlet woman away. Frantically he searched the crowd, the noise and people, which had been so easy to ignore before, was blaring in his ear, he was disoriented and scared.  
  
"Elizabeth!" he yelled into the crowd.  
  
Frantically he searched for a foreign sound above the noise. People were grabbing and pushing him, he couldn't see where he was going, but he hoped that Elizabeth was moving in the same direction.  
  
"Elizabeth!" he called out again. He had to find her; he just had to think this through.  
  
He stopped and pushed his way against the force of the crowd pushing against him. He focused his mind once more as he tried to pick her voice over the crowd.  
  
Then he heard it, "ill!" a voice called out from the mob.  
  
"Elizabeth!" Will called again, as he began to push his way toward the sound ahead.  
  
"Will!" her voice was becoming clearer now, and Will quickened his pace.  
  
"Elizabeth, where are you?" Will yelled.  
  
"Over here," it seemed as though her voice came from a thousand different places.  
  
"Over where?" Will called out.  
  
"I don't know? Over here, where I am!" Elizabeth's voice was panicky and that scared Will even more.  
  
"I'm coming Elizabeth, just keep talking," Will was trying to follow her voice but it was distorted by the noise within the club.  
  
"Why did you let go?" she asked, her voice getting closer.  
  
"I was being attacked!" Will yelled back. "Keep talking!"  
  
"YOU were being attacked, you left me in a crowd of randy men! It was all I could do to slap the ones who got close enough!" as she talked Will could hear her voice calming, as if she could feel a connection between them as they spoke.  
  
Will was getting closer, her voice was clearer through the crowd; he just needed her to keep talking!  
  
"What do you see around you?" Will asked, yelling at the top of his lungs.  
  
"I see people, people and more people. hey watch it buddy!" Will was worried but that increase in tone helped him to hone in on her location. Frantically he searched through the horde of dancers, and almost yelled for joy as he saw a flash of her jacket and hair within the crowd.  
  
He pushed and pulled through the mass of people frantically in order to reach her. He elbowed and shoved his way past at least twenty people before finally sighing for relief as he came up beside her, her back still to him.  
  
"Sorry about that Will, I had to dispatch someone," she called out loudly, not realising he had found her. "Where are you?" she called into the mass.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm right here," Will said as he placed a weary hand on her shoulder.  
  
And was promptly elbowed in the gut and thrown into the nearest person by a very annoyed looking Elizabeth.  
  
"I told you, I'm not interested!" She yelled at Will, before she could double-take, "Will!"  
  
Will was surprised at how much force her elbow carried and struggled to regain his breath.  
  
Elizabeth was at him in an instant.  
  
"Oh Will! I'm so sorry, it's just that there was this guy and he was getting a little to frisky if you catch my drift and I wanted to put him in his place," she screamed above the crowd.  
  
"Don't worry I think it worked," Will yelled as she helped him to his feet again. "So what's the plan?"  
  
He held onto Elizabeth protectively, not wanting to lose her again. He watched as she checked her watch and looked dismayed.  
  
"Four minutes left," she called. "And we don't know where we are, or where to go. It's over Will, we can't get through," she hung her head dejectedly.  
  
"It's not over Elizabeth, we'll find a way," he said as he grasped her tightly.  
  
Suddenly the club went silent, and a slow and moody melody filled the air. 


	16. The Stars Fell

Author's note: YEAH!!!!!!! Merry Christmas! I finished it before I left! I leave in five hours to travel for a month! So I won't write for a while, 34 days approximately, but I have good news. Christmas is about love, and peace so here's a little peace and love from Will and Elizabeth for Will and Elizabeth! The formatting of this is so hard! The song lyrics are in (Brackets), I'm sorry if there are flow problems but I was trying to portray the song and dance as it happened, because the lyrics of the song are like Will and Elizabeth's relationship incarnated it's absolutely beautiful. This song and these moments were the reason I started this story, so enjoy!!!!!!! Oh and don't worry there will be plenty more after this, I just have to kinda move first so yeah, patience my fans, patience.  
  
Elizabeth was amazed at the change that overtook the club in that instant, it seemed as though everything were suddenly stuck in slow motion. She listened, as 'It is you I have loved' by Danielle Glover came over the speakers. Elizabeth had always been partial to the song, but now was not the time for it. All around them dancers slowed and grabbed partners, seizing the massive blob around them in a tight gridlock. It was increasingly apparent that her and Will would be moving nowhere in the next four minutes.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Elizabeth mumbled to herself. (There is something that I see.)  
  
Will's eyes were shining slightly. "We'll go with the flow," he said simply. (In the way you look at me.)  
  
"Go with the flow? Have you been watching MTV while I'm in the bathroom or something?" (There's a smile, there's a truth in your eyes.)  
  
"Where's our best guess for Hen's hideout?" Will asked, staring through the club. (What an unexpected way, on this unexpected day.)  
  
Elizabeth was a little puzzled but answered Will's question anyway. "That way," she said as she pointed to a far wall over the crowd. (Could it be, this is where I belong)  
  
"Excellent," came Will's reply.  
  
Suddenly Elizabeth was caught in a flourish of movement, which turned out to be Will. (There's no more mystery) He had grabbed her and now they were standing in an open dance position.  
  
"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked. (It is finally clear to me)  
  
"Flowing," Will said mysteriously. (You're the home my heart searched for so long)  
  
And then they began; they were dancing a waltz to the beat of the music. Will was smooth and graceful, and he led wonderfully. (It is you I have loved all along). Elizabeth found herself gliding across the dance floor. And what's more, she found that people were stepping aside and letting her.  
  
The stir of Will's steps was clearing a path for them, (There's a time I ran to hide) they were moving through the floor with ease and stirring a lot of attention as they did so. (Afraid to show the other side) Elizabeth was amazed at Will's coordination as he gently steered her through the crowd. (Alone in the dark without you)  
  
"This is amazing," she exclaimed. "Where did you learn this?" (But now I know just who you are)  
  
"I told you before, I have been taking lessons. I've been trying to impress people," he flushed slightly. (And I know you own my heart)  
  
"I think it's working for you," she said as she flushed slightly. (Finally this is where I belong) She couldn't meet his eyes; they were too beautiful. (And it is you I have loved all along)  
  
Elizabeth felt horrible about what had transpired between them the night before, (There's no more mystery) she felt unworthy to be held in his arms like this after she had offended him so badly. (It is finally clear to me) She had to apologize.  
  
"I'm sorry," both her and Will sputtered out at the same time as they swivelled their way across the dance floor. (You're the home my heart searched for so long)  
  
Both chuckled slightly and stared at their respective feet. (It is you I have loved all along)  
  
"You first," Elizabeth said softly, curious as to what imperfection Will could possibly hold. (Instrumental)  
  
"I'm sorry I have been curt to you Elizabeth, that I haven't been more understanding and kept greater self-control," Elizabeth looked up momentarily, and saw Will's eyes downcast and shamed. He was entirely unaware of how much Elizabeth had loved his momentary slips of self- control, his rash kiss days before still haunted her lips regularly. It was time to be honest.  
  
"I'm sorry I've made you," Elizabeth started softly, holding her head down to keep from seeing Will's shocked response. "I'm sorry that you've been lost and confused and that I have been unable to help you. And I'm sorry that things have been tense between us, that I've kept you locked up for three days without bothering to see how you were taking it. And most of all I'm sorry that in two days you'll be out of my life forever and you'll probably want to forget me as soon as you can," she said bluntly  
  
She let Will and the dance take over momentarily as silence fell and both dancers pondered what had just been said. Elizabeth noticed how safe she felt in Will's arms; it was the most beautiful thing. She felt as though when they danced as they were now she could tell him anything and he would understand. She felt a power and confidence in him that gave her strength.  
  
"Elizabeth, I want you to know, that no matter what happens I'll always remember you," Will spoke softly. (Over and over, I'm filled with emotion)  
  
Elizabeth finally met Will in the eyes, and her resolve crumbled. She was falling in love with him, she had already fallen in love with him. (Your love rushes through my veins). And now he was right there and she wished nothing more than to tell him.  
  
"Will I," she started and her tongue caught in her throat, she couldn't say it, it was too hard! (And I am filled, with the sweetest devotion)  
  
They kept spinning through the crowd until they reached the side and Elizabeth could see Hen in the distance.  
  
She had to tell him, she wanted to tell him, but it was too complicated, too hard, too unexpected. She didn't deserve him, he didn't belong to her, she had to respect the movie and it's characters. She couldn't do this. (As I looked into your perfect face)  
  
(pause) Oh to heck with it!  
  
(There's no more mystery,) Then Elizabeth kissed him, and he kissed her. (It is finally clear to me) and they kissed each other! It was as if the whole world fell out from beneath them, and neither of them cared. They just stood there for what seemed like eternity. (You're the one my heart searched for so long) The stars fell (It is you I have loved) and the earth moved (It is you I have loved) and both of them realised that they were in love, and neither of them cared. (It is you I have loved all along).  
  
Elizabeth broke off the kiss gently, slowly not wanting it to end. It was magical and wonderful; she looked around at the club dreamily, not caring what was going on around her, or what happened to her next. And was promptly assaulted by the bright flashing of what seemed like millions of light bulbs.  
  
The light bulbs and camera flashes around her brought her back to reality in an instant. All of a sudden, her previous fears and misconceptions were thrown back at her at a break neck pace. The peril of having her seen with Will in public, the computer sitting in the back of her car and the deadline for the meeting with Hen, crashing through her brain.  
  
Like lightening, she grabbed Will and dragged him off toward Hen's door, hoping against hope that it had not shut and that the one chance of solving the mystery behind the strange computer did not pass her by. She had to get away from the cameras and get in contact with Hen; those were her goals. But she was still reeling from her rash kiss on the dance floor. She was positive that neither party had been expecting it; she could hardly believe that she had done it herself! But never mind that, she had to focus.  
  
They reached the side of the floor and Elizabeth was prepared to yell out for Hen. Will, obviously, had misjudged the intentions because he suddenly whirled her around and proceeded to kiss her again; this time she gave little resistance. All of her previous goals were forgotten and her focus was lost as she threw her arms around his neck and returned his favour. It was funny, it all seemed familiar to her, and at the same time everything was new. Elizabeth had never felt that way before, like the love she was seeking was actually given to her. It was marvellous, as was Will's kissing. His mouth was sweet, almost hinting a taste of chocolate. She could feel the passion between them rising and she leaned into him and allowed herself to drift away on his soft and skilful lips.  
  
"Am I interrupting something, or are you here for a good time after all," came the cynical voice of Hen.  
  
Elizabeth froze immediately, which was a little funny considering she was mid-kiss. Will stopped immediately thereafter and both turned to look at Hen sheepishly.  
  
"I just. we were just. It seems as though you caught us." Elizabeth stammered.  
  
"Boning up on your mouth to mouth I presume?" Hen scolded. "I don't like my time to be wasted Lizzie, and that is always a waste of my time."  
  
Elizabeth figured if she jumped to the point Hen would have less of an opportunity to insult or belittle her.  
  
"Hen, this is Will Turner, you may have seen him in such films as Pirates of the Caribbean, and such governmental cover-ups as 'So I designed a machine to steal objects from films but ended up stealing entire movie characters', we've been dying to meet you," she said sweetly.  
  
"Are you kiddin me?" Hen said sceptically.  
  
"On my honour as a hack," Elizabeth said as she grabbed Will and dragged him along as they followed Hen to his room.  
  
"Hackers can't be trusted," Hen said loudly over the crowd.  
  
"Hackers are the only ones who can be trusted, if they have the right proof," Elizabeth said slyly as they entered the room.  
  
"What do you mean, proof?" Hen asked warily.  
  
"I have a new laptop I want you to take a look at." Elizabeth said.  
  
"Show me," Hen said, trying vainly to hide his excitement in his eyes.  
  
Somewhere above them a pair of hurt and jealous eyes hid emotions of far greater impact. 


	17. Conspiracy Therories

Author's note: FINALLY!!!!! I'm so sorry my devoted fans (and not-so- devoted fans) I had a marvelous time on vacation in NEW ZEALAND!!!!!! Very inspiring place, I almost gave up on this to start a LOTR fic! But don't worry because I just couldn't leave Will and Lizzie! So yes I don't know how frequently I'll be able to post from now on cause I'm desperately trying to find a job! But I had a safe move (cept I can't find a lot of my stuff!) thanks for all your well wishes and I hope you all still review!! Anyway thanks again (a shout out to original-creativity who reviews ALL my chapters!) YAY!!!! Chapter 17!!!!!!!!!!  
  
*****  
  
Hen had been pouring over the computer screen for the past forty-five minutes, and Elizabeth had been trying her best to keep focused. But with Will's arms wrapped around her and his head snuggled protectively against hers, it was proving to be quite the challenge. She couldn't quite recall how it happened, she just walked in after retrieving her laptop from the car, handed it off to Hen, who had immediately set off to work and then took up a standing position beside him. Before she could realize it there had been Will taking the position behind her as if it were the most natural in the world, showing her his constant support as it were, witnessing his position forever by her side.  
  
She wouldn't have minded had it been a normal circumstance, but this was certainly not normal. One, Will was not a normal boy, he was a Pirate, a character from a movie who still had to go back and would leave her by the end of the week. Two, Elizabeth was trying to up keep the appearance of a normal girl, but that was hard since both of them had been caught in public together and tomorrow's newspaper would no doubt scream headlines of late night escapades of seemingly innocent Hollywood stars. Three, there was the fact that both needed to be concentrating and that was entirely impossible when Elizabeth could concentrate on nothing but Will's slow rhythmic breathing against the side of her neck!  
  
Finally, Hen stirred and Elizabeth's worry increased as she saw his normal twitchiness and paranoia manifested two-fold in his constantly blinking eyes and gaping mouth. He was also openly miffed at the position of the seemingly attentive Ms. Cartwright wrapped comfortably in Will's arms.  
  
"Dang it Lizzie! Are you taking this seriously or not!" The harshness in his voice startled Elizabeth who quickly disengaged herself from Will.  
  
"You know I'm serious Hen," Elizabeth started defiantly. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."  
  
Hen it seemed was not satisfied. "Then please try and distance yourself from this pretty boy long enough to focus on the fact that we are both in way over our heads."  
  
Will was on the defensive at once. "Excuse me but you have no right to."  
  
Elizabeth could tell that if she didn't smooth things over quickly, both would be at each other's throats.  
  
"Both of you stop! Will I think it would be best if you left me and Hen to talk privately for a moment." Elizabeth thought it would be better for both of them if the distance between them increased.  
  
Will's look was sad and dejected almost as if he would contest but the look in Elizabeth's eye silenced him and he walked slowly over to the adjacent room where some of Hen's cronies were typing away at computers with the utmost ferocity. Feeling that Will had apparently gone out of earshot, Elizabeth turned to and Hen continued. The look in Hen's eyes startled Elizabeth as she turned back to face him, it reminded her too much of their parting.  
  
"What's so wrong Hen?" Elizabeth asked innocently.  
  
"Are you out of your mind?" Came Hen's whispered response as he grabbed Elizabeth and pulled him next to her.  
  
"Stop being cryptic and tell me what you've found!" Elizabeth said her patience wearing thin.  
  
"Fine but your not going to like it," Hen opened the computer screen once more and a series of number pattern's flashed across the screen, almost in a programming code.  
  
Elizabeth was puzzled, why should this have any importance?  
  
"Are you comprehending this Lizzie?" Hen said condescendingly.  
  
Will was still swarming in her thoughts and the flashing numbers on the screen were only proving to be a nuisance.  
  
"It's a program big deal," Elizabeth said listlessly.  
  
"Yes it is a big deal," Hen said abruptly. "Because this is what the computer was originally designed to do."  
  
Hen's use of originally designed caught Elizabeth's attention.  
  
"What do you mean originally?" Elizabeth asked dreading the answer.  
  
"Finally your grasping the seriousness of the situation," Hen said as he brought up the main screen of the computer and started to go through it's files pausing at different points to explain what was found there.  
  
"Now the first thing that I found strange about the computer was the fact that it seemed to have large chunks taken out of the programming and then pieced back together kind of like they were condensing or minimizing it. So I decided to hack into the history and see what had been removed," Elizabeth smacked herself on the head, why hadn't she thought of that!  
  
"Why didn't I think of that?" She mumbled.  
  
"I can think of one reason," Hen said slyly as he passed a glance back at the room Will had entered just moments before.  
  
"Let's keep focused shall we?" Elizabeth said turning a slight shade of pink.  
  
"So anyway, I hacked into the history and found that a large section the programming had been erased and re-written, that it had been changed and modified probably by Augustine," Hen paused and brought up a new screen.  
  
"So Augustine didn't hire someone in the CIA to create the program," Elizabeth started.  
  
"He stole the program from the CIA and changed it to suit his needs," Hen finished.  
  
"So the question becomes, what was the CIA originally trying to do?" Elizabeth asked as she peered at the screen.  
  
"That's what I was wondering, until I found this," he said as he pointed to the screen.  
  
E-mail urgent!: Program delta: Doppelganger version 1.1 CAUTION: CONFIDENTIAL! For the Eyes of team leader alpha only! Program Doppelganger used in the recruitment process, only when deemed appropriate. The use of civilian creation is strictly prohibited. Copy process only to be utilized upon subject under complete authority of GG. To initiate copy process, refer to manual 24.7 p 3 para 16. NOTE! All matter is unstable if contact is made with subject. Process null and void if copy and subject ever meet. Precautions must be taken to ensure no cross- encounters ever occur! Test to be compiled 0730 a fortnight from now.  
  
That was all it said.  
  
"Man I thought I was vague, what are these guys on?" Elizabeth said as she read the last of the e-mail.  
  
"What I've gathered is your Will coming out of the screen, may not have been such a freak accident as you thought," Hen said indignantly.  
  
"He's not my Will," Elizabeth huffed, slightly louder than intended. Than the gravity of Hen's comment dawned on her. "What do you mean, not an accident?"  
  
"You always were slow on the uptake Lizzie," Hen continued. "Yes, I have come to believe that Will coming out of that screen was no accident at all, at least the program behind it was no accident at all."  
  
"Ok stop being cryptic and give me the facts!" Elizabeth's patience was waning, she knew that the information Hen had discovered would be key in unraveling the mystery, but she wished he would just come out and say it!  
  
"The government is planning to make clones of movie stars." Hen said plainly.  
  
Considering all that had happened to her, Elizabeth expected to be more open, but she just couldn't shake how very weird the words sounded, what would the United States government want with movie stars?  
  
"Huh?" was about the only intelligent comment she could come up with.  
  
"Sounds kinda like we're in some sorta B-rate sci-fi movie doesn't it," Hen said relishing Elizabeth's stupor of thought. "But all signs point to it, it seems that the digital imaging used the camera attachment is linked directly to the web,"  
  
"I noticed that!" Elizabeth interrupted. "A bunch of internet sites about the chemical properties and atomic structure of gold, it was weird. I never made a connection."  
  
"Again I realize why," Hen said sternly, casting a glance back at Will's room.  
  
"Back to explaining how this machine works," Elizabeth said sternly.  
  
"Ok so here's the basic run down," Hen continued. "The camera and computer work on a timed device which is set up to capture a certain moment in the film."  
  
"Which was interrupted causing the camera to pick up Will instead of the gold." Elizabeth added.  
  
"Yes, and when the lightning hit the transformer for the theatre, the overload in the circuit caused the computer to re-create the bridges which had been burned down by Augustine's programming and the computer hooked up to new websites," Hen said bringing up a new screen.  
  
Elizabeth looked at it sadly, what she saw was a list of bookmarked websites that, had she not spent the past week with Will delving into the world of government conspiracy, would have made no sense to her. Sites and databases detailing Human anatomy and psychology were mingled with chemistry sites and sites detailing the storylines and characters of Hollywood's greatest films, among which was Pirates of the Caribbean.  
  
"So what do the websites do?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
"The digital imaging picks up the information on the sites and uses it to re-create the image on the screen." Hen stated plainly.  
  
"But how can it just pull materials out of thin air?" Elizabeth didn't quite grasp the mechanics, though the finished result was standing little more than fifty feet away.  
  
"Thin air is exactly right," Hen interjected. "The human body is made up of a mixture of elements, mainly carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. These three elements can be found in our atmosphere along with the other trace elements needed to make a completely functional human body."  
  
Elizabeth still didn't want to believe it, it was too Star Trek. "But he's just like Will! He thinks and acts just like him! How can a copy do that?"  
  
"That's the other interesting point that's proved with this little mishap, people have been debating for centuries what makes humanity different. What shapes our thoughts and actions, our beliefs and principles, but what society forgets is that when it's all boiled down, our thoughts and feelings are controlled by memories, physical and chemical connections made in the brain. When the computer sees Will, and looks him up on the sites, it sees his behaviors, his character and his actions in the movie and proceeds to create the memories stated there, it really is all very interesting.' Hen was thoroughly enjoying the conspiracy behind the computer now.  
  
"So my Will." Elizabeth caught herself and hoped that Hen wouldn't notice her slip. "I mean this Will is a copy? He doesn't have to go back to the film, he's completely separate from it, he could stay if he wanted to." The possibility of keeping Will was worming its way into the back of Elizabeth's mind, her hopes momentarily soaring.  
  
But Hen had heard her little slip, and realized the implications behind it.  
  
"You can't be serious," He dropped what he was doing on the computer and turned to look condescendingly at Elizabeth.  
  
Elizabeth tried to hide what she was feeling by looking at anything in the room besides Hen. "Yes I am, I mean he doesn't HAVE to go back, he's just a copy, he wouldn't be missed. He could quite easily live out the remainder of his life here; I mean what are we going to do? Re-scramble him into the little bits he was made out of?"  
  
"That's exactly what we have to do!" Hen whispered. "Maybe the movie won't notice he's gone but there are plenty of people in this reality who will notice that he's here!"  
  
"Like who! We just keep him concealed, we'll move him to a remote part of Kentucky or something," Elizabeth retorted.  
  
"I don't know maybe the government officials who created this computer! This wasn't any minor experiment Lizzie, this was a plan, a plan that I'm guessing cost a lot of our taxpayer's dollars and is not going to be something that will be easily forgotten. On the off chance that they don't already realize that our Pirate friend exists, after your little lip- locking expedition tonight, they'll soon find out." Hen glared at Elizabeth and she glared right back.  
  
"They wouldn't find him, I'd hide him," Elizabeth knew she was fighting a losing battle but she had to give it her best shot.  
  
"They're the United States government, they will find him, and when they do they will ruin the lives of whoever was keeping them from him, this runs deeper than you thought Lizzie, fathoms deeper. You still don't realize what they're going to do to him once they catch him do you?" Hen looked more serious than Elizabeth had ever seen him.  
  
"Remand him into custody?" Elizabeth said weakly, not grasping his implications.  
  
"Will is a breakthrough in the technological advances in our society, when he is caught he will be taken to a lab and studied like a rat, he has no rights, he's not a person, he's a copy. The United States government owns the technology that created him therefore they own him. The only way to protect Will is to send him back into the movie," Hen's expression changed, it almost seemed as though he was sad.  
  
"We don't know what that'll do to him, we don't know if it's even possible. It would be just like killing him Hen, I can't do it." Elizabeth wasn't going to loose Will now, not when it was proved that she might have the chance of a life with him.  
  
"You can't or you won't? I know what's clouding your judgment Elizabeth, you're falling in love with the guy!" Hen looked at Elizabeth as though his computer had just crashed.  
  
Elizabeth was tired of his butting in on her personal life.  
  
"I am not!" Her statement wasn't entirely untrue; you can't fall in love with a guy you're already in love with.  
  
"Yeah well before you go gallivanting away to your summer hideout, you might want to realize this, Will is a character, a hero in a story, he's not real. Are you willing to risk what little chance of a career and life you have left for a fairy tale?" Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing and she was sure that if Hen had spent the last week with this 'fairy tale' as he called it, his sentiments would be different.  
  
"Your wrong Hen, he may have been created in the image of a character from a movie, but he's just as real as you or I," Elizabeth was near tears, she couldn't believe that her one ally had suddenly turned against her.  
  
"Yes well if he's so real, and you obviously care so much, here's another tidbit you may want to consider. He can never come in contact with Orlando Bloom." Hen added before Elizabeth could get up the courage to leave.  
  
"Huh?" That news came a little unexpectedly to Elizabeth.  
  
"The last bit of the e-mail 'All matter is unstable if contact is made with subject. Process null and void if copy and subject ever meet. Precautions must be taken to ensure no cross- encounters ever occur!' Will Turner must never come in contact with the real Orlando Bloom," Hen stated gravely.  
  
"What will happen if he does?" Elizabeth asked curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
"Newton's third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, but if both 'Will's' or 'Orlando's' or whatever meet, the reaction that occurs will be the same for them both, at the same time, skewing the law, because only one reaction may take place at a time, at least that's the way it works in this reality. So if they ever meet, one of three things will happen. One, nothing happens. Both parties will be shocked and confused, you know they may faint a la Back to the Future, but they're both strong men so I doubt that. Second, the whole universe collapses because of the anomaly and the earth becomes a giant black hole. Highly unlikely and a bit melodramatic but still possible. And third, the world doesn't know how to cope with both of them, so it eliminates them both." Hen finished gravely.  
  
Elizabeth wasn't keen on the world being sucked into a giant black hole but the last one sounded rather unpleasant as well. "What do you mean eliminate?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"The world would not be able to handle the idea of two identical beings with identical thoughts so it would dispose of the problem in its entirety. It would probably be rather unpleasant, think Time Cop, you know the Jean- Claude film," Hen said with a sad smirk on his face.  
  
"I never liked that movie," Elizabeth said cringing at the thought of Will turning into a giant puddle of ooze.  
  
"Exactly, so before you get all love sick and decide to take Will to some romantic hideaway for a bit of lovin', think about the consequences of your actions Elizabeth, you were never meant to love him, and he was never meant to love you." Hen turned back to the computer and shut it down.  
  
Elizabeth felt his concern for her and it hurt her to be so brash with him, he was looking out for her, like he used to and she was pushing him away for some girlish fantasy. Is that what she wanted? To live out the rest of her days constantly looking over her shoulder, worrying whether or not she would be discovered and Will was taken away? To cling to the false hope that she could make a life for them both when neither could afford to have their face shown in pubic again? Was that fair to Will, was it fair to herself? What about the world? Or the real Orlando, what if she caused harm to him and Will? Was what she felt for Will enough to justify the possibility of putting all that she cared for at risk?  
  
It wasn't and deep down Elizabeth knew that it wasn't. The only chance that her and Will had to make the kind of life that they both deserved was if she sent him back. The only way she could go on knowing that she had done the right thing was if Will forgot all about this place and this future. If he forgot about Elizabeth and the time they shared together.  
  
She had made up her mind, though it killed her to do so.  
  
"How do I send him back?" Elizabeth said, keeping as firm a resolve as she could under the circumstances.  
  
Hen looked up at her as a proud father would look at a daughter who had just passed the hardest test either could imagine.  
  
"Pirates is to be replayed this Friday at the new Imax cinema, leave the computer with me and I'll have everything ready by then, we'll be able to send him back and destroy the computer and the whole thing will have blown over before you realize it," Hen's voice was an attempt at soothing, but Elizabeth wasn't in the mood for it.  
  
"I'll see you on Friday," said Elizabeth listlessly.  
  
"I'm sorry Lizzie, really I wish there was another way," Hen was being sincere but it wasn't an emotion he pulled off convincingly.  
  
"Cut it our Hen, you sound like a daytime soap," Elizabeth tried to chuckle, but it came out as more of a sob.  
  
"Yeah well at least my storylines more believable," he said with a smile.  
  
"Oh sure, all we need now is to have Will fall suddenly pregnant with Marlena's love child," She said embracing her cynicism to help her through the pain of realizing she was giving away the single greatest guy she'd ever met.  
  
"Excuse me!" Will picked probably the weirdest time to enter the conversation, causing Elizabeth to laugh briefly before lapsing into depression again. "Nothing, me and Hen were just discussing the finer points of day time TV, something I'm glad I haven't let you be exposed too," Elizabeth replied.  
  
She turned and nodded a final good-bye to Hen. "Come on Will we'd better get back, we don't want to arouse any suspicion. Why'd you come in here anyway?" She asked as she moved over to him  
  
"Umm, there's a message for Hen actually, there's a man in the next room who's calling you, something on the late edition of the news, anyway he wants you to come and give your opinion," Will said as he took Elizabeth's arm and together they left through the back door of the club.  
  
"Umm, thanks Will I'll get right on it," Hen said, the sadness in his voice almost recognizable.  
  
Elizabeth looked at Will as they left the club and made the way to her car and sighed. She contemplated breaking the contact between them, trying to ease the inevitable separation but then decided against it. She wanted to savor every minute of Will she could before she sent him back. 


	18. If You're Not the One

Author's note: Oh my, this is a lovely sad chapter *sniff* thanks to all of you guys who have reviewed and kept on reading despite my horrendous delays. This was sooo hard to write! (actually it was kind of fun) I just, it's just... oh you just go and read it!  
  


* * *

  
Elizabeth closed the door to her apartment and stepped inside wearily. The ride home had been torture, Will wanted to know what was going on and Elizabeth was trying her hardest to avoid the subject so that he wouldn't find out. How could she tell him, after what happened on the dance floor? 'Sorry Will I love you, but not enough to give up my life and live in a squalor's shack in Kentucky' How could she tell him she was giving up on him?  
  
"Is something bothering you Elizabeth?" Will asked breaking Elizabeth's trance.  
  
Looking at Will's concerned eyes staring at her with the utmost care crushed Elizabeth more than anything else. But she had resolved to keep Will in the dark about his chance at an existence in her reality, and so stood firm.  
  
"Just you're leaving," she said with a sad smile. "Hen confirmed it, you're going to be sent back on Friday night, everything here will go back to the way it was. The study of the computer confirmed the need to send you back as quickly as possible. So that's what we need to focus on now." She turned away from his sad eyes and moved to the fridge trying to occupy her thoughts with anything but Will.  
  
She rifled in the fridge shuffling and re-shuffling the contents of it, not feeling the need for anything (any food that is) but not wanting to make her trip there seem purposeless, she finally settled on a jug of orange- passion fruit Tropicana and shut the fridge door with a slam. She walked slowly over to the counter and got a glass from the cupboard focusing her mind on the menial tasks before her. Open cupboard, remove glass, remove juice lid, pour juice, recap juice lid, walk back to fridge, open fridge, replace juice, close fridge, walk back to glass, pick up glass, hold glass millimeters away from lips, drop glass suddenly. Drop glass suddenly?  
  
What Elizabeth had failed to realize during her complete concentration on the menial tasks before her was that Will had snuck up on her unintentionally, perturbed by her queer behavior. When she had turned and prepared to drink menially from her glass, Will's face (and more specifically his lips) were just inches away. So she had spooked and dropped the glass, which had covered her whole chest in bright orange- passion fruit Tropicana and left a large puddle of juice and glass shards on the floor.  
  
"Will!" Elizabeth half-shrieked.  
  
Will was instantly penitent. "Oh Elizabeth, I'm such a fool," he sighed rushed his hands through his hair in a far too attractive way.  
  
Elizabeth was happy to turn her attention away from the too attractive Will, in order to take care of the treacherous shards of glass littering her kitchen floor.  
  
"Oh it's my fault, I'm just a spaz by nature," Elizabeth said as she began to pick up the shards and place them gingerly in her hand. She frowned as she looked down at her brand new soaking burgundy top and cream colored pants, at least they had been cream colored now two-thirds of it was a kind of pale peach.  
  
"Dang!" she exclaimed as Will stooped down to join her, in her fragile effort. "I finally find an outfit I like, and I'm doomed to ruin it on its first use," she huffed indignantly.  
  
Balancing the shards carefully on her hand she moved to take the last piece, but was jarred when Will moved to do the same. There hands touched briefly and like so many of the Harlequin romance novels of the past an almost electric jolt flowed from where they touched. Elizabeth could feel herself blushing furiously and she scolded herself inwardly for holding onto this fantasy when every rational thought in her mind was screaming at her to push him away, let him go and forget about him. She decided to stare intently at the juice puddle for a while.  
  
"I can't recall if I ever told you how speechless I was when I first saw you as I stepped out of the changing room, how you knocked the breath out of me because you were so stunning, and how I still think you are absolutely beautiful," Elizabeth didn't have to look up to know there was that playful smile pasted on his face, but against her better judgment she did anyway.  
  
"I think you tried to once," Elizabeth shocked herself by saying. She knew where this was headed but some part of her just wasn't ready to care. "But you didn't want to because, to me all it means is you're trying to kiss me again," Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was doing, it was as if her heart kept sputtering words involuntarily out of her mouth. Like Will had cast some sort of spell over her that she had neither the power nor desire to break. Elizabeth breathed deeply as she saw Will inching closer.  
  
"Well then," Will said with a smirk. "Let me tell you now how speechless I was when I first saw you as I stepped out of the changing room, how you knocked the breath out of me because you were so stunning, and how I still think you are absolutely..." the final words were lost as there lips met.  
  
Any further thoughts of fallen glass shards or puddles of Tropicana were tossed aside literally as Elizabeth let her hand fall, re-spilling the glass and letting it rest on the floor while she lost herself in Will's kiss.  
  
It was the hardest thing, and probably the dumbest thing she'd ever done, giving in to Will once again. The kisses, which had previously sent her straight to cloud nine, now filled her with bittersweet remorse and guilt. She didn't have any right to enjoy this, not Will moving closer to her and drawing his hand slowly and softly across her cheek, nor the feel of his strong arms as they moved to encircle her, pulling her in perilously closer, and not the feel of his heartbeat against her palm as she pressed her hand against his chest. It was all wrong, and she hated herself for it. So much so that when Will finally broke the string of passionate kisses, he looked down at Elizabeth with love in his eyes only to find tears in hers.  
  
"Elizabeth?" Will questioned, though he already knew the cause of her troubles.  
  
"I can't do it," she said as she collapsed against him and lay her head against his chest trying to hold back the sobs. "I can't sit here and kiss you when I know I have to give you up. You may be strong enough to deal with that kind of pain, but I can't," She sniffed slightly shaking her head against his chest as if trying to find the courage to pull away.  
  
In the end it was Will who did the pulling away, a look of confusion and frustration in his eyes as he stood up and towered over her, his frustration giving him and air of defiance and power not to be trifled with.  
  
"Who demands that I leave?" He demanded harshly. "Why, if you wish that I could stay so much, if it hurts you so badly to part with me, must we part? Who is it that holds such power over so that all that you want and desire you cannot have!?" The passion in his eyes burned brightly as he spoke, and Elizabeth couldn't decide whether she found it stirring, or frightening.  
  
But she couldn't blame Will; his questions were valid, she was just afraid to tell him the answers, and his fierceness wasn't doing anything to comfort her.  
  
"Not who Will," Elizabeth said weakly from her crumpled position on the floor. "What, and the what is no small thing to be forgotten. The entire world wants us apart." Elizabeth felt ruined and crushed, faced not only with losing Will, but with explaining it point blank to his face as well. The only thing that gave her strength was a well of anger bubbling inside her; anger at Will for making her pain worse, at the world for causing her pain and at herself for giving into it.  
  
Slowly she rose until she was standing firm and facing Will with the same frustration that he had displayed. Each statement was punctuated with pain and regret, and they grew louder until Elizabeth feared her voice would give out.  
  
"We don't fit Will, don't mesh, our fates don't coincide, we were never meant to be, say it however you want but they all mean the same thing, the whole world wants us apart!" She would have been crying her eyes out, but she was too filled with anger to take notice of anything else. "Maybe where you come from, where the sky's are always blue unless there's danger near, or where Our Fine Hero always gets his One True Love things are different, but this is the real world and I for one am not strong enough to hold it back!!!!" She'd screwed up her eyes and yelled at the top of her lungs for that last exclamation and so was unable to see the change come over Will's face.  
  
Almost as if he'd been slapped physically, the anger and frustration was drained from his face and replaced with hurt and surrender.  
  
"Fine," he said softly. The change in his voice was so great that Elizabeth was instantly culled and attentive. "If you are unwilling to challenge this world on my behalf, I will stop resisting it on yours, though I would have gladly fought to my dying breath if it would have given us a chance."  
  
Elizabeth was surprised she didn't give in right then, that she wasn't instilled with such passion that she grabbed Will and ran away to some tropical hideaway never to be seen again, but to live out the rest of her life in blissful and never-ending happiness. But her own strength surprised her and she was able to remain strong in the face of the storm.  
  
"Don't think I wouldn't do the same Will, don't think that if there was anything I could do to ensure that you and I could just forget all this and go on living, that I wouldn't do it. But the fact remains that us being together just isn't right," She replied with an edge of ice in her voice.  
  
Will still wasn't convinced. "Right?" he sputtered incredulously. "I've spent my whole life doing what's right, for the soul purpose of it being right! But does this feel right to you Elizabeth? Does hurting so bad that you want to throw yourself upon a sword just to make it stop seem RIGHT to you?" She'd expected him to start shouting again, and at this point would have welcomed it to the emotional guilt trip he was sending her on.  
  
"No," she said quietly, her tears starting to return to her. "But jeopardizing this world and those we love in it, can't be right either."  
  
"The only person that I love in this world is standing right in front of me, is the one your forcing me to leave," Will said, not batting an eyelash.  
  
That tore at Elizabeth more than anything else, but it also gave her something she could use. "But you have a world of your own, and someone there waiting for you," she said through invisible tears.  
  
There was a momentary glimmer in Will's eye and Elizabeth could tell that she had struck a resounding chord that time, that she had finally given him a reason to go back. But Will wasn't giving up a fight.  
  
"No," he said resolutely. "She doesn't want me, her choice has been made."  
  
Elizabeth had never felt for him more than at that moment, his honor still held steadfast and strong, despite his world of hurt. "She loves you Will Turner," Elizabeth said formally in an attempt to separate them emotionally. "And she would have you if you told her of your feelings for her."  
  
Now it was Will who was faltering, and though it killed Elizabeth to see it she was glad he was beginning to accept their fate. "I... I can't... I don't want to... Elizabeth would never," he said through invisible tears of his own.  
  
"Are you willing to throw away all the years that you've loved her Will Turner? Every moment you stood and watched her, hallowed her name and fought to protect her?" Elizabeth could feel her love of the film and her love of its story carrying her through. "She is your One True Love, it is her heart that hold's you and it is to her you must return," Elizabeth, strangely enough, was starting to feel better herself, knowing of the happiness destined for Will gave her a small feeling of peace, like a tiny candle growing ever stronger as the seconds past which lessened the dark ache of her slowly breaking heart.  
  
"If it was any other way," she concluded. "All that I know of love would be false."  
  
The length of time they stood there was immeasurable by both parties, either seconds or eons passed, neither could tell but when that moment ended Will had thrown his arms around Elizabeth in a crushing embrace, damping her shoulder slightly with the few tears that even Our Fine Hero was unable to hold back. Elizabeth prepared to weep too, knowing now that no more slips would occur, that there was no second chances for her and Will and never again would her lips have the privilege of brushing against his.  
  
"I swear Elizabeth," Will whispered softly into her ear. "One day, if I cannot find someway to be there myself, I will find you happiness."  
  
But the time for the fulfilling of promises was not now. For at that moment a loud stern knocking could be heard at the door. And the deep voice of General Harold Grippa came booming through the door.  
  
"Elizabeth Cartwright, this is the United Stated Government, open this door!" Came the loud and urgent call. 


	19. Revelations

Author's note: Ok so I know I've lost most of my readers due to my loooong intervals between chapters, and I'll admit that this one was a lot harder to write. Life I am afraid is beginning to demand a lot more time! But thank you to everyone who has read this far, this is not the end!! I have I think about five chapters left. Sadly the end is near, it is in sight, but I'm not there yet! So yeah hope you enjoy!!!!  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth's worst fears had come to pass at that moment it seemed, as the General pounded at the door and Will went instantly rigged in her arms. She almost panicked, but the experiences of the past week had strengthened her and she was able to formulate a plan, albeit a hasty and disorganized one.  
  
"Hide in the bathroom," she whispered into Will's ear, as they stood still wrapped in one another's arms. "Don't make a sound, if I can't get him to leave, make your way out the window and try to get to the balcony across the way and go down the fire escape. Take my cell phone and call Hen once your safe." Elizabeth looked up at Will noticed defiance in his eyes and slowly took the phone out of her pocket and slipped it into his hand. He would not take it however and attempted to shove it back into Elizabeth's.  
  
"I will not run and leave you in danger," He said sternly.  
  
Elizabeth smiled slightly, despite the fear rising in her as the knocking at the door became more insistent. Will was a true hero, selfless and stubborn and stupid when it came to matters of his own safety. "I'll be fine, he's probably just here to check up on me," She said trying to reassure Will despite her heart rising and plummeting continually at the thought of the General discovering her secret and taking Will away to be studied like a lab rat.  
  
"Elizabeth, open this door!" The General boomed, startling Elizabeth back into reality.  
  
"Will, hurry!" Elizabeth whispered as they broke apart and she flung him toward the other end of the apartment. She stuffed his sheets and pillow under her bed, waited until he had disappeared safely into the bathroom and then pasted on a happy face and swung open the door just as the General raised his arm for another knock.  
  
"General Grippa!" she called rather loudly. "What are you doing here at this hour of the night?" She tried to look tired and sleepy but looked more worried and paranoid.  
  
"Well I just came for a little check up is all, didn't want you opening the door to just anyone, so I announced my presence." He said cheerfully as he strolled into her apartment entrance, eyeing the place as though he expected drug dealers and stockpiles of illegal substances to come pouring out of closets at any moment.  
  
"So," he said turning back to her, as if deciding that the apartment was, for the moment, safe and sound. "How have you been holding up, after your no doubt trying experience last week," He said as he stared down at Elizabeth. She didn't like the look in his eyes, fierce and unmoving, almost as if he was boring into her subconscious by force.  
  
"Umm I've been fine," she responded hastily, her voice cracking slightly from the pressure. "I've just been catching up on my reading," she said as she walked over to the bed and picked up the copy of Treasure Island Will had left on top of her covers.  
  
"Treasure Island," the General said slowly as he snatched the book away perused over the cover intently. "Pirates, Miss Cartwright?" He said condescendingly. "I really had hoped you'd got all of that lawlessness out of your system," he added with an almost sinister smile.  
  
"I'd hardly call it lawlessness General," Elizabeth said feigning laughter. She was getting really nervous now. "I mean Robert Louis Stevenson is classic literature."  
  
The General started to make his way towards the bathroom, scaring Elizabeth further. He knew, Elizabeth knew, he knew. She had to somehow draw his attention away from the bathroom!  
  
"You know it took you a while to answer the door Elizabeth, one would almost think you were trying to hide something," The tone in the General's voice was light and kidding, but Elizabeth knew that he meant what he said.  
  
She glanced around frantically for some excuse, and spied the spilt glass on the kitchen floor with great relief. "You startled me when you knocked!" she yelled, causing the General to turn from his advance on the bathroom. "I dropped my glass on the floor and it spilled all over the place! I didn't want you to cut yourself on the glass so I tried to pick up, but when you kept knocking I decided just to let you in." Elizabeth's voice was shaky and she knew that she didn't sound very convincing, but the General must have bought it because he walked over to Elizabeth as if forgetting the previous notions entirely and put his arm on her shoulder in an almost fatherly way.  
  
"You always were so considerate Miss Cartwright, so willing to help those in need," It took every ounce of muscle control Elizabeth had in order to keep her face neutral after the General let loose with that comment.  
  
"Thank you General," she managed to squeak out quietly.  
  
Why was he taking so long? Why was he beating around the bush? If the General knew that Elizabeth was hiding Will and the computer why didn't he just arrest her, or restrain her or something. Was he trying to humiliate her as well?  
  
"You know we still haven't found Augustine's computer," the General said as if it were nothing more than discussing the previous week's sports scores. "And there have been strange rumors going around lately, that Hollywood stars, specifically one, have been turning up in the most unusual of places."  
  
"Really?" Elizabeth said haltingly, her mouth was becoming dry and clammy, she was cornered like a rat lost in a maze, she'd hoped Will had taken the hint by now and was making his way slowly out of the bathroom window.  
  
"Yes, it's very strange," the General said in that strange, almost casual tone. "And there have also been rumors that a women of your description has been seen in these places, don't you find that odd?" The General was now turning back to the bathroom, a look of purpose and determination in his eye.  
  
Elizabeth was on the brink of insanity waiting in the tension of the moment. She knew it was hopeless, knew there was no way she could protect herself and Will any longer, she decided to come out clean right there, to try and make it easy on herself. Maybe if she could talk to the General long enough she could get him to understand that Will was a person, not just a copy from a movie, but someone who thought and felt and had emotions and dreams and desires. Maybe if she put trust in the General he would put trust in her. It was killing her to lie to him anyway, he had always been nice to her after her parents had died.  
  
The General was nearing the doors to the bathrooms, sizing them up trying to guess behind which one lay the prize. Elizabeth cleared her throat, trying to put a little moisture back in. She tried to call out to the General but it seemed as though her voice wouldn't allow it, she cleared her throat a little more and tried to call out again, but still she couldn't get any volume. The General was getting dangerously close to the doors now, and to Will's hiding place, but it seemed as though something in Elizabeth wouldn't let her speak. Couldn't bare the thought of giving up her secret hope of getting through all this in safety.  
  
Just as she thought she could finally open her mouth and have actual sound come out, a lot of very detrimental things happened at once. First the General threw open the bathroom door with a flourish of triumph, expecting to see some sort of crazy conspiracy, but was disappointed when all he saw was a toilet and sink. He'd guessed wrong and opened the wrong door. Elizabeth was glad when she saw his disappointment, and decided that now would be a good time to inform him of her secret. She was halted before she could though because at that precise moment Will opened the other bathroom door and flung himself furiously on the General.  
  
"Run Elizabeth!" Will called as he pinned the General down to the floor.  
  
Elizabeth's expression was one mingled with horror and utter frustration, the one not-so-fun quality of torn Pirate/Blacksmiths, was there tendency to do incredibly rash and stupid things. Knowing now that any and all chances of winning over the General's trust were thrown out the window, she figured it was time to grab Will and get out of there.  
  
She pulled Will off the General who was still wheezing from the blow he'd been dealt. "It's time we get out of here I think," she said sadly. "Goodbye General, I hope you understand that it's nothing personal, I just can't let you take Will away, he doesn't belong to you, he doesn't belong to anyone in this world."  
  
She led Will towards the door when the puffing General called after her. "I hope you'll understand too, Elizabeth. That this really has nothing to do with you," Elizabeth's eyes widened as she saw the General pull a small radio out of his pocket and flip it on. "Corporeal Stam, I think it's time you came and cleaned up this mess," he said before flicking the switch and collapsing to the ground once more.  
  
Faster than screaming Orlando fans pre-bought movie tickets to Return of the King, a hoard of military soldiers burst through the door. Elizabeth stood dumbfounded for what seemed like eons. Fierce looking soldiers were pouring in with large and menacing guns. At the head was a large and brutish looking female, if she could be called that. She wore an expression of frustration and annoyance, which did little to improve her pussy face. Elizabeth was instantly intimidated, but Will, who had fought festering moldy Pirates fearlessly, was only slightly scared. He pushed Elizabeth toward the balcony while drawing his own sword.  
  
The brutish looking female, which Elizabeth only guessed was Corporal Stam drew her gun on Will just as quickly.  
  
"Don't hurt him!" The General called from the floor where he was slowly regaining composure and standing up. "We need him alive and unharmed." The General strode toward Will and Elizabeth confidently, sure of his triumph.  
  
Elizabeth, on the other hand was not so sure, or at least her hope made her not so sure. She knew there was a way out of this, there always was right? She just had to find it. At a loss to anything else she could do, Elizabeth stole a gaze at the apartment, looking for anything that could be used to escape. What she saw were the fierce glances of twelve brutish secret agents and the smirking face of the largest and ugliest, Corporeal Stam. Her and Will were surrounded on three sides and the fourth side wasn't all that inviting, just a wall and a balcony that held a lovely view of the three-story, seventy foot drop below. Yep going that way would be no fun at all. Except, now that Elizabeth thought a little clearer, she remembered that in the darkness beyond the door there was also a clothesline... attached to the building on the opposite side of the alleyway... which had a fire escape that lead down to the street.  
  
Elizabeth spread a small smile across her face. Very small, there was still the matter of getting to the balcony door, opening it, and getting across before being shot, stabbed, captured or something. That would prove difficult, but at the moment it seemed to be Elizabeth's only opition.  
  
The look the General gave Elizabeth was enough to make her blood curdle, it was a mixture of grief and frustration, like he'd expected more of her. She opened her mouth to say something, to find any sort of comeback or explanation or diversion, but was surprised when Will beat her to the punch.  
  
"You know it really has begun to bother me, the amount of people who just won't let me die," Will's sudden upheaval of speech startled everyone in the room, and the tone of it surprised Elizabeth because it sounded a lot like hers, annoyed and frustrated.  
  
"Excuse me?" the general said, somewhat bewildered that his lab experiment could possibly be more than just a walking test subject.  
  
"At first the woman I love is kidnapped by blood thirsty pirates, who raid, pillage and plunder my town, And then I find out that I am actually the key to their whole plot, so instead of being able to do something heroic to try and stop them, I am forced to lay rotting in a cell until they can do what they want with me, and then when I find a way to be useful, I am torn away from my reality only to have yet another band of brutal and unforgiving miscreants try to steal away yet another woman I love and then expect me just to sit ideally by while they take away everything I hold dear and again use me against my will!" Will was standing firm and tall and he took his unsheathed sword and held it firmly against his chest. "I really no longer see the point in standing around here any longer, I really have no need to fear death, if all I will ever have in life is one nasty group or another taking away what I want,"  
  
He had passion and seriousness in his eyes that made his threats realistic and frightening. Elizabeth was for a moment worried that he was sincere and would, before her eyes take his own life. The General was absolutely panic stricken, harshly he commanded his officers that none were to move. He looked at Will pleadingly, as if talking to a small child holding a delicate antique in his hands.  
  
"Now let's not be hasty, Mr. Tuner is it?" the General said smoothly, using his years of hostage and terrorist negotiations to try and give him an edge on the situation. It failed. "Haste and rash are words which I do not respect in my vocabulary, as they are used only by people who never do such things themselves," Will was like a rock, firm and strong against the General's hot air. He had seen too much of the Commodore in the General to take him seriously, he was nothing but a man who hid behind his rank to achieve whatever devilish designs he had in mind. "And it's Turner, my name is Will TURNER, you obviously are not a fan of the movie," Will added sternly.  
  
"No, me and my men do not have time for such things," the General retorted weakly.  
  
"Than you wouldn't have seen the efficiencies in threatening one-self, I find it works rather well," Will said with a smirk. Elizabeth was puzzled by Will's strange behavior, but as he stole a glance at her, and his eyes flashed momentarily she saw a plan in them and stepped into action.  
  
"No Will," Elizabeth said smoothly, taking the sword from his hand. The General looked relieved for a moment, before Elizabeth strode behind Will and pressed the blade against his throat. She looked around the room with a steely determination in her eyes. "A stab wound to the heart is easy to repair these days, a decapitation on the other hand," She looked again at the General with her fierce eyes and saw him flinch before he matched her gaze harshly.  
  
"What do you plan to achieve with this Elizabeth?" he said focusing his condescension on her instead. "After Will is dead you will not only be tried for treason, but murder as well, are you willing to throw away your future for this copy from a movie?" The question burned Elizabeth because the answer to it was what had caused her to give Will up in the first place, to try and regain her normal life. But now it seemed as though she would never be safe, that the consequences of her actions would be felt for the rest of her life, however short that was.  
  
"Yes General, Will is worth leaving every ounce of my normal life behind," Elizabeth realized as it came blurting out of her mouth, as natural as anything that the words were true, that she would give up every ounce of normalcy to be with Will, and that she would be happy if she did. But she knew now that Will would never be safe. The General had proved her need to send him back as quickly as possible.  
  
Slowly she and Will started to move toward the balcony. The General and his cronies followed but kept their distance.  
  
"But more than that," Elizabeth continued to try and distract them. "Making sure that you are never allowed to take away the rights of any man, no matter what his circumstance, is an ideal I'd die for," she was almost within reach of the door.  
  
Elizabeth could see that her dig at his morals angered the General and now he was sputtering for something to say. Which worked well because it caused a bit of distraction. His face was red, and there was a vein that started to throb at his temple. His agents turned to look at him as he became angered and Elizabeth grasped her free hand on the handle of the sliding door leading out to the balcony. And unlocked it with a click, but no one seemed to notice as the General suddenly started to yell.  
  
"How dare you judge me Elizabeth! After I took you in, treated you like a daughter, looked out for you and this is how you repay me! By saying that I am violating the rights of the very country I am trying to protect!" The General was fuming, and Elizabeth was unimpressed, how could using and abusing Will, possibly protect the country?  
  
"Before you save the country General, you might want to save the ideals it stands for," Will added, increasing the General's fury.  
  
Elizabeth decided that this would be a good time to implement her plan. Before the General could say anything further Elizabeth flung open the door and pulled Will through with her. The General instantly stopped fuming and started ordering his guards to take down the pair, but by the time they had refocused on the situation Elizabeth had flung the door closed and wedged a chair in the track, preventing it from opening. Through the glass, they saw Corporeal Stam raise her gun to fire, but the General smacked her hand away and they heard his muffled voice command her that shooting the glass could harm the Package, which Elizabeth assumed was Will.  
  
Elizabeth dropped the sword from Will's neck and handed it back to him while the General's men furiously tried to get the door open.  
  
"How long do you think it will hold them?" Will said as he turned back to Elizabeth.  
  
"Not long, which is why we have to get across that gap in a hurry, now go." Elizabeth said as she pushed him toward the edge of the balcony and the clothesline.  
  
"But," Will began to protest.  
  
"You're the one they're after, therefore you're the one with the most need of getting out, so GO!" Elizabeth yelled.  
  
Will stepped onto the railing of the balcony and took hold of the clothesline. Nimbly he jumped up and wrapped his legs around it in a firm hold. Elizabeth than pulled the rope through the pulley, slowly sending the line with Will attached, over to the other side. It wasn't easy, Will was a muscular man and with all that muscle there came a lot of weight, but spurred by the constant banging of agents on the other side of the glass Elizabeth, filled with adrenaline, was able to get him over to the other side. He fell nimbly off the rope and beckoned Elizabeth to climb on as he had. She stepped up onto the balcony railing and prepared to swing her legs onto the rope but now that she looked more closely the thin string and the massive fall made her hesitate. A sudden feeling of vertigo overtook her and she stood frozen in place teetering dangerously on the narrow railing.  
  
A black fall of over seventy feet was in front of Elizabeth, while behind her a dozen blood thirsty special ops agents were getting closer and closer to breaking through the door. 


	20. Downfall

Author's Blabbing: Thank you so much to those who have reviewed!!! Both old ones and newbies! It makes me so happy that people could care as much about this story as I do. Chapter 21 will be along shortly probably next week or just after. Things are beginning to thicken!!! Heheehehehe!!! Oh and I hope Elizabeth isn't reverting into a Mary-Sue, please be brutally honest and tell me if she is... but umm give me reasons and just not blatant flame cause otherwise I won't be able to fix it! Oh and you may have noticed that the chapter title for 18 changed. Yes the newer one is far less corny and has far more meaning, if you want to know why just check out a song entitled "If you're not the one" by Daniel Beddingfield, than if you truly get Will and Lizzie you'll know why I did what I did!!! Hehehe, anyway on to the story!!!  
  
*****  
  
Will saw Elizabeth's hesitation and was instantly worried. He knew he should have pushed harder for her to go first, should have put up a fight, but he figured she would have just pushed him to go ahead even more. He honestly could have stabbed himself for his stupidity now, for Elizabeth was petrified, frozen on the ledge and he thought of no way he could reach her. But he still had to try.  
  
"Elizabeth!" He called to her across the way. Her spell was momentarily broken and she looked up at him with sheer terror in her eyes, Will had to distract her from the fall long enough to give her courage. "Look at me!"  
  
"I am looking at you!" Elizabeth's voice was high-pitched and filled with tension and fear. Will had to do something fast.  
  
"Put you legs over the rope," he commanded urgently, they had precious little time before the agents were going to break through the glass. He saw the large ugly one had picked up a chair and was now smashing it against the door furiously. Already tiny cracks were spider-webbing to form larger, weaker ones. Will estimated that they had little over a minute before they would be able to crash through the door. "Elizabeth we need to hurry!" He added as an afterthought.  
  
"I can't do it!" Elizabeth said as she tried tentatively to pick on foot off the balcony before replacing it firmly after it had gained no more than two inches of height. She began to shake and Will could almost feel her fear as she stood tottering on the ledge.  
  
Will knew that Elizabeth could do this, had seen the courage in her before, he just had to instill in her, the faith that he had in her abilities. "Elizabeth you can do this, I know you can! Please before they break through, you have to get over here!" Will was becoming more anxious as he saw small pieces of glass break from the door and scatter over the balcony.  
  
He saw Elizabeth glance back at the door, and felt her fear double as she saw the agents beginning to crash through. She looked back at him now and he could see the inner struggle as she attempted to push down her fears. Will didn't know if it was his faith or her realization that the agents were horrendously close, but he could have leapt for joy as he watched her shake the remainder of her fear and grasp the rope firmly. As nimble as a kitten she leapt into the air and prepared to wrap both legs around the rope, but the agility of her take off didn't transfer into the landing and as she brought her legs together Will saw the door finally give way as it smashed under the pressure.  
  
The noise was tremendous as shattered glass flew threw the air, and Will's heart stopped as he watched Elizabeth's legs slip and come crashing down to the railing. As if in slow motion he watched as her feet slid out from under her, sending her sliding over the side. At that moment he lost track of everything except the thought of her falling through the darkness while he failed to protect her. It was only when she was able to grab the side of the railing, preventing her from being lost to oblivion that Will began to breathe again. But her legs were now dangling in mid-air and all that prevented her from the fall was the strength of her arms, which Will knew, since being injured were rapidly failing.  
  
"Elizabeth!" his voice tore at the darkness as if commanding it to leave him, but his voice had no authority and now Elizabeth was trapped with that horrendous brute Stam advancing on her and he was powerless to stop it.  
  
"Well isn't this fun!" The horrendous brute said as she stood over Elizabeth, mockingly.  
  
"Get away from me you ugly puss-oozing tyrant!" Will heard Elizabeth call out indignantly as she struggled to regain footing.  
  
Will watched as the agent grabbed Elizabeth's hands and began to shake her around like a rag doll. Elizabeth began shrieking and trying desperately to hold onto the railing, and Will was filled with a wrath he had seldom felt before. There the agent stood, hurting the woman he loved, disrespecting, terrifying and harassing her, Will would not stand for it, not now, not ever.  
  
Unsheathing his sword he called to the brute and prepared to attack. "Excuse me, but I must protest and ask that you cease your actions this instant if you do not wish to face a horrid and brutal death." Will yelled across the alley.  
  
The brutish Stam looked condescendingly at Will before leaving Elizabeth to struggle on her own. "What did you say Pretty Boy?" She said with a slur of hatred and disgust.  
  
"I knew you lacked the intellect to understand my statement," Will said. "I said get away from Elizabeth or I'll skewer you like the pig you are!"  
  
Stam chortled with evil mirth, it was like watching the convulsions of a dying cow and Will was thoroughly disgusted. "Oh yeah Pretty Boy!! What are you going to do!? Throw your sword at me!" Again she chortled and Will cringed with revulsion.  
  
Now it was Elizabeth's turn to chortle, and to Will it was ringing bells in comparison. She had regained footing and was now standing on the bottom of the balcony railing. "You really haven't seen the movie have you!" She snickered again before being silenced by a backhand from Stam, which sent her flying and left her dangling from the railing once more.  
  
For Will that was the final straw, his rising anger burst forth. "Close your eyes Elizabeth, I don't want you to see this," Will spoke with such ferocity that even Stam was taken aback, momentarily stopping her pursuit of Elizabeth to look up at Will with shock in her face.  
  
"My eyes are closed Will!" Elizabeth called back.  
  
Will let his anger go in a flourish of movement, he threw up his sword and caught the hilt in his upturned hand. Than using more force and precision than anything the repugnant and disgusting Stam could fathom he threw the sword over twenty feet, sending it straight through her oversized and foul gut.  
  
It took a moment for the brutish agent to realize what had happened, and then slowly she looked down at the sword that went clear in one end and out the other. The pain registered first as she let out a howl that roused the deepest sleep of any animal within five hundred meters in any direction. It was filled with loathing and disbelief. After the initial outburst however, she remained silent and looked first at Elizabeth and then at Will, with sheer hatred. Slowly she pulled out her gun and aimed it level with Will's head.  
  
Elizabeth was the first to notice, "Will She's got her gun! I don't think she means to listen to the General's orders anymore. Get out of here!" She screamed across the alley.  
  
Will was frozen, he knew that any sudden movement would cause the bull to fire, and knew that he wasn't about to leave Elizabeth hanging from a balcony. He stared at his death head on, prepared to face it.  
  
A shoot rang out, Elizabeth screamed and Will screwed his eyes shut, prepared for death. It wasn't until Elizabeth tore the night with another scream that he opened his eyes, staring at disbelief at the scene before him and then tearing the night with his own cry.  
  
"Nooooo!!!!" He said as he watched The General push Stam, who had been shot in the back of the head, off the balcony tumbling right over Elizabeth and losing her grip on the railing. For a split second that seemed like an eon she fell into the blackness and then was caught, by the collar of her jacket by General Grippa who was now seething with anger.  
  
"You made me kill my best agent Elizabeth," he said through gritted teeth. "Don't make me kill my best analyst too."  
  
"Stop!" Will yelled across the way.  
  
The General looked up as though he'd just remembered Will was there. The look in his eye told Will that he intended to use his new 'leverage'. "Listen here," the General said with malice on his tongue. "If you don't want Elizabeth to end up a smear on the pavement like Stam, I'd suggest you make your way back over here." He finished coolly.  
  
"Don't listen to him!" Elizabeth screamed as she hung dangling from his arm like a helpless puppet. "Get out of here Will, go see my Jack Sparrow! If the General gets you it's all for naught, RUN!"  
  
Will knew that Elizabeth wanted him to run, wanted to give her life to save his, but he couldn't let her do it. Yet neither was he resigned to the thought of losing her to the General. He was paralyzed with indecisiveness and the visual fear tipped the General off.  
  
"Will you're a reasonable man, and I'm sure you care about Elizabeth very much," The General's tone had reverted back to the slick smoothness it was before.  
  
"Don't listen to him!" Elizabeth yelled again.  
  
"Please Will I already have agents climbing the building, you won't get five feet from there without being tackled to the ground. So you can come quietly over now, and spare Elizabeth, or you can be a hero and get tackled five seconds after she falls to her death, it's your choice,"  
  
Will wouldn't let her come to harm, not while he could prevent it. Hanging his head in shame he made his way slowly across the line.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth saw Will coming back and glared up at the General. "You slime, you stink, I don't even have words in my vocabulary to express the loathing I have for you."  
  
"Elizabeth you really should learn to relax," The General whispered down at her. "That way you could enjoy your last moments with Will instead of wasting them."  
  
That statement cowed Elizabeth immensely. Something wasn't right she could feel it. Elizabeth glanced up at the General, who was staring down with that same, far-off disappointed look in his face. "You really would have made it far Elizabeth." Elizabeth could feel the grip of the general's hand on her jacket loosen and she dropped a few centimeters. Will was now just a foot and a half away, oblivious to the General's deception.  
  
And Elizabeth was too late to call out, she knew it was coming and was powerless to stop it. Though it only took a second, it seemed to Elizabeth that hours passed by as she slowly felt the general's grip slip and tried to yell out to Will. The only thing she was able to squeak out was a yelp as she felt the cold wind envelope her.  
  
Down into the blackness she fell, looking up to take one last glance at Will, it was funny, almost surreal, knowing she was going to die. In her head she imagined Will would swoop out and catch her like a hero would, and that together they would escape into the night and live happily ever after. She knew she must have been close to death, because she could swear that Will actually was coming down to save her, the light glinting off of a knife in his hand which he had used to cut the rope, the General yelling furiously for the men who had come up from the street to race down again. It was almost nice to think that her last thoughts would be of Will and his heroism.  
  
But those weren't her last thoughts, she had many more, as Will finally caught up and came crashing into her. Together they swooped down on the clothesline to the alley floor, crashing on top of one another with the jolt. It was then that Elizabeth had most of her thoughts, with Will on top of her and his face not half an inch from hers. But those thoughts were ended quickly as he pulled her to her feet, suddenly snapping her back to reality.  
  
"Thanks for catching me!" she said a little breathlessly, after all she had just been dropped three stories, caught by a Pirate and then had him flung on top of her. "I thought for a second you were some angel coming to get me!"  
  
Will smiled slightly. "Well there might have been if I hadn't figured that the General most likely wasn't one to be trusted."  
  
Suddenly a group of agents burst around the corner, interrupting an otherwise tender and playful moment. Will looked to Elizabeth and then walked over to the body of Stam and pulled out his sword as if ready to make a final stand, but Elizabeth had a better idea. She grabbed Will's hand and ran toward the agents. They hadn't expected this exactly so were stunned momentarily as the two ran past. The moment didn't last long however and soon the agents were tearing after Will and Elizabeth, the distance between them closing rapidly.  
  
But they failed to recognize one thing, Elizabeth had spent all of the time since she was employed by the government, well over seven years, searching and hiding out in shops and tunnels in her neighborhood, one tended to do that with government organizations running your salary. She had known of an abandoned building in the area that had an emergency passage to the other side of the street. It was here she took Will, tuning a corner suddenly and then shoving him into the doorway. She dragged him to an old closet and shoved him in, shutting the door and placing a hand over his mouth. They were very close now, as the closet held little room for movement. Elizabeth's heart was pounding from more than the stress of running and hiding from government officials, she didn't know what to do with Will now. Was it ok for her to stay with him now, because her life was forfeit anyway?  
  
She didn't have much time to contemplate as she heard the agents enter the building. Slowly she moved her hand up the wall behind Will, looking for the seam in it. As if guessing what she was doing, Will shifted noiselessly in her arms and began feeling along the wall as well. The agents were getting closer, and just as Elizabeth thought her plan had failed, Will found the seam and slowly pushed the trapdoor open. She followed it through and shut the door, cutting off what little light remained leaving both of them groping their way through the darkness.  
  
"Do you think the agents know about this tunnel?" Will whispered in the darkness.  
  
"I don't know," Elizabeth said moving in front of him. She didn't, and she was worried that all of this was for nothing and they'd emerge from the tunnel only to be greeted by dozens more agents a lot more grumpy than before.  
  
"Where will this take us?" Will asked innocently.  
  
"The tunnel runs for about a mile," Elizabeth started. "Before coming out in the basement of a run down Chinese restaurant," she chuckled slightly despite the tension of the situation. "They actually make killer Egg-foo- yun and I could defiantly use some of that right now."  
  
"One more question," Will said silently, as if searching for some sound that was inaudible previously. "How did you find out about this tunnel?"  
  
Elizabeth thought for a moment, she had known about this one for some time, shortly after her parents had died Bradford had called her... at that she paused. Bradford knew about the tunnel! If Bradford was connected to Elizabeth he would be forced to tell the General about Elizabeth's whereabouts! He may already have been captured by the General and made to give up the information, he may be in danger, might even be dead.  
  
The sobriety of the thought stopped Elizabeth, and Will, unseeing bumped into her from behind. "Bradford showed me." She whispered.  
  
"And do you think that he would give up our location?" Will asked.  
  
"I hope not, I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Elizabeth shuddered at the thought of Bradford at the hands of the General, the thought of his betrayal hadn't even crossed her mind.  
  
But it should have, as suddenly a voice was heard in front of them in the passage. "Elizabeth!"  
  
Will was immediately suspicious, drawing his sword and trying to move in front of Elizabeth. But Elizabeth knew the voice and trusted it, she moved forward to find Bradford without hesitation, glad of a friend in the darkness.  
  
"Bradford!" She called back, glad that he wasn't somewhere being tortured by the General. "You need to get out of here, the General knows! We have to escape!" She groped along the sides of the tunnels heading toward his voice, while Will protested in the background.  
  
"I know, I came to warn you, but I saw the General going into the building, I figured you'd use this escape. Is Will with you?" Bradford's voice was calming to Elizabeth, he was somebody who had the capability to hide her and Will, could take them to safety while they waited out the storm.  
  
"Good, good, can you get us out of here?" She had found him in the darkness and was holding onto him tightly.  
  
"Elizabeth?" Will called out into the darkness. Elizabeth was so elated that she'd almost forgotten Will was still behind her. Frantically she went back and found him, half dragging him up to Bradford. "I don't think we should trust him Elizabeth, he never calls you by your full name, something's amiss," Will whispered as she pulled him along.  
  
To Elizabeth it was nonsense, Bradford would never betray her, he was her friend. She was about to tell Will to stop worrying when she felt his grasp slip from her fingers. She reached out to grab hold once more, but her fingers felt nothing but the blackness before her. She became frantic, she swung her hands to all sides and began to pace back and forth.  
  
"Will!" She called into the darkness. "Bradford! Where'd you go!?" She refused to take account of what happened. She wasn't betrayed, they were playing a joke, Bradford hadn't taken Will, she was just paranoid. She was perfectly fine.  
  
Than a pair of strong arms enwrapped her from behind and a bitter smelling cloth was put over her mouth. She was surprised and so breathed in fully the noxious fumes on the cloth, sending her reeling. The arms tightened their grip as she slipped from blackness to blackness, she heard Bradford's voice whispering somewhere far above her.  
  
"Sorry Elizabeth, it was the only way." His voice sounded as though it came from fifty different places.  
  
She had been betrayed, a second time. 


	21. Rude Awakening

Author's Banter: Hehe DON'T SPEAR ME!!! I'm sorry I took so long to update, hehe I kinda forgot this chapter existed, which is funny because I absolutely love it!!! Elizabeth is back to her old self again!!!! At least in my head she is. I'll let you decide anything else. So here you go! I'll try to remember to post the next chapter soon!  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth was back in the dream again. It was exactly the same as before; the large meadow, the wind was sweeping through the grass, the calm and peaceful feeling, they were all there. Again she felt the uneasy feeling in her stomach but she found that this time it was not so easy to ignore. She began to walk through the meadow as before, but paused as she reflected on what had happened last time. She knew the flower lay at the end, knew that she would become trapped once more, but the more she fought against the desire to go forward, the more it pushed her. The uneasy feeling was growing almost unbearable and eased only as she moved toward her target at the other end of the meadow, so she set out again. But this time the destination was slower in coming. Nausea in her stomach restricted her steps so that every few feet she had to stop and regain her composure. The march, which had taken mere minutes in her previous dream seemed to drag on forever, but still she followed the warm feeling to the other end of the meadow.  
  
After what seemed like days she came to a stop in the same spot and the uneasy feeling remained hard and constant. She knew the source, the flower, and thought that maybe if she were able to destroy it here, now she could prevent it from taking her again. She kicked at it with her foot, digging at the ground until the small flower was up rooted and powerless. She smiled smugly to herself as she reached down to pick up the dead flower and proceed to crush it into tiny pieces. But just as she reached the flower the tentacles came again. Not from the flower, but from beneath it, behind it, around it, almost as though the flower were holding the evil force back. The tentacles wrapped around her once more and once again they began to squeeze the air and life out of her. She didn't bother struggling, just gave into the darkness, she couldn't deal with this force, not alone and this time there was no one to help her.  
  
*****  
  
Elizabeth woke with a bit of a start, she felt as though she'd slept for days, her mind was foggy and slow, and she jerked unpleasantly as she rolled off the small cot she seemed to have been sleeping on. The last thing she remembered, besides her disturbing dream, was running with Will somewhere, away from something. She looked around at the room she was in, stark cold, white and empty, except for the bed she had fallen off of, a dark window on one wall and a steel door right next to it. It looked as though the room hadn't been used often, the corners were brown from the collected dust and dirt. And a vent and what looked like a speaker were caked with rust and grime. It startled Elizabeth, as she looked down at herself, that she was much the same. She was wearing a loose hospital gown, thankfully not backless, and as she looked at her hands and felt her hair she realized she must be incredibly greasy and dirty. Suddenly her idea about being asleep for a few days didn't seem so far fetched.  
  
Once she realized the condition she was in, her thoughts immediately began to turn to Will. Where was he? Where was she for that matter? They'd obviously been caught and now were being held in separate rooms most likely to be interrogated or tortured until they told the information the government wanted. Will, they were probably dissecting right about now! Elizabeth suddenly felt her nausea return, while she had been in dream world Will had been subject to the government that had created and believed themselves to own him. Elizabeth had little hope that he would still be alive, let alone unharmed. She sank down into the cot and began to sob, she had failed him, left Will to die, let whatever weapon or war tactic the United States government had created slip through her fingers and into their greedy grasp to be used in whatever perverse way they saw fit. She hated herself and all she could do was feel remorse and concern for Will.  
  
And then a disgustingly pleased voice came on over the speaker and all of Elizabeth's concern for Will, was turned into utter and complete hatred for Bradford Shannigan.  
  
"Afternoon Lizard, sleep well?" Bradford asked as a light was switched on and the window was lit to show Bradford and a security guard in an adjacent room staring smugly at her. Her rage consumed her and all she could manage to do was yell, scream and throw her pillow at the window.  
  
"I guess not," Bradford remarked snidely to the guard next to him. The guard looked indifferently at him, he had no connection to this case, and he wanted none. Bradford looked back at Elizabeth with his pompous glare and found her slumped in a corner sobbing and muttering to herself in frustration.  
  
"Low down, no good, cheat. Thinks he's a friend, lying callous jerk." Elizabeth was so outraged that she could think of nothing to say except to find synonyms for the most horrid words she'd ever heard. Her betrayal was utter and complete, she was humiliated, debased and left to rot in a dirty cell, and it was all Bradford's fault.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know why you're here?" he said smugly.  
  
"Because you're a lying, dirty cheat who I trusted to be my friend," Elizabeth didn't give him the respect of lifting her head to him, if she had she would have noticed the momentary hurt in his eyes. It was only brief though, and soon he was back to his cold glare.  
  
"Not quite Lizard-breath, lets try to dig a little deeper, now why do you think it is you're locked up in a government cell, while a Pirate is three floors down under strict confinement because he's already threatened to slit the throat of anyone who comes near him?" Bradford spat the word Pirate out like it was a bitter poison.  
  
But Elizabeth was given hope by the statement, and finally raised her head to meet Bradford's steely gaze. She stood slowly and moved to the glass window, her hope rising that Will might still be alive. "Because they haven't dissected him like a lab rat yet?" Elizabeth's voice showed more vulnerability and hope than it was safe to. Bradford's look hardened.  
  
"Well no, they haven't but that's not why... try to think about something besides your 'dashing' pirate, like why you're still alive." Elizabeth had wondered what had kept her alive... why, if the General was so willing to kill her before, she was allowed to live after capture. The greed of the General displayed and his ruthlessness, could only mean one thing, they wanted something from her and Will and were very anxious to get it. Maybe it had something to do with Will's behavior.  
  
"You're wanting me to sedate Will so that you could do whatever experiments you want on him! Well I won't do it, I'd gladly die first rather than help you to hurt him." Elizabeth froze her glare and attempted to put the fear of life into Bradford, but as met with a frustrated glance.  
  
"You have a one track mind, do you know that? Will we sedated easily enough, a dose of drugs and he was as docile as a kitten," then as a side note. "A little too docile in fact, he was borderline for a couple of days after someone slipped him the wrong medication... almost killed him, kinda like you," His smug smile told Elizabeth everything, Bradford had attempted to kill Will, but had failed.  
  
"You jealous skink, how I ever thought a man like you could be an ally of mine is beyond my recognition." Elizabeth smashed her fist against the glass to emphasize her point.  
  
"Now, now, let's not be hasty, who said that I had anything to do with it?" his smug smile told Elizabeth there was no need to confirm the accusation elsewhere.  
  
Elizabeth was growing tired of the pointless banter, the more she saw of Bradford was the more she hated him. "Get on with whatever point you're trying to make so that I can refuse it and be done with you," she said coldly.  
  
"You never were one to play games... with me." Bradford said with a tinge of jealousy in his voice. "So I guess I'll stop playing them with you. Where's the computer Lizzie, where'd you hide it. Tell us, and we might make this a little easier on you." Bradford said seriously.  
  
So that's what this was about, the computer. Elizabeth had almost forgotten that she had left it with Hen, and now she was grateful that she did. They'd never find Hen if he didn't want them to, and the horrid technology that the United States government was planning to use for whatever diabolical purpose held their whim, would now be forever out of their reach. At least that was one good thing.  
  
"I'm not a fan of the easy way Bradford, not in this case, and neither is Will. You'll have to kill us both before you'll get the location of the computer," Elizabeth looked smugly at Bradford, disguising her fear of whatever foul things he had in mind for her torture.  
  
"You know I'm glad to hear you say that Lizzie, cause this is going to be fun," the sudden maliciousness in Bradford's eyes almost didn't seem real. Elizabeth had never known him to be savage and now that she saw him, she was terrified. His almost pasted glee was unnatural and unnerving. Elizabeth backed into the corner and waited for what came next.  
  
"Guard, you may want to unplug the security cameras, I'd hate for any younger viewers to see this," The guard moved and did what he was told, moving to a control panel in the other room and turning a few switches.  
  
"Excellent, now let me into Miss Cartwright's room please," Bradford's voice showed more excitement, than Elizabeth thought was healthy. "You know Elizabeth, at first I didn't want to tell the General about you and your Pirate," he said suddenly casual.  
  
The Guard opened the door and stood beside it, Bradford move slowly into the room. "His name is Will and he's a blacksmith," Elizabeth said suddenly strong in her defense of Will.  
  
"Whatever," Bradford said as he stopped in the doorway. "After your little escapade in the night club it was clear what I had to do," he reached into his overcoat and pulled out two things, a photo of her and Will in the night club on Tuesday and a pair of brass knuckles.  
  
"Where'd you see this picture?" Elizabeth said as Bradford tossed it at her feet.  
  
"All over the 11:00 news that night, seems you two are quite the cute couple," Bradford said with a sneer.  
  
"So you didn't tell the General?" Elizabeth said confused.  
  
"Oh, not at first, but after the broadcast I knew that telling the General EVERYTHING was the only way that I would be able to do this..." Bradford said as he slid on the knuckles.  
  
"And what exactly are you going to do with those," Elizabeth swallowed hard.  
  
"This," Bradford said as he brought his fist straight up into the guard's nose, sending him down to the floor like a rag doll.  
  
Elizabeth was completely taken aback, "What the?" was all she could manage.  
  
Bradford's look changed instantly, his malice and craze were replaced with his usual playful and somewhat worried look. His smile was genuine as he pulled the unconscious guard into Elizabeth's cell.  
  
"Had you going there, didn't I?" Bradford said with a friendly smile. "You really thought I was going to beat the living daylights out of you! You should have seen your face it was priceless." He chuckled slightly.  
  
Elizabeth however was not laughing, not in the slightest. "YOU BUTT MUNCH!!!!" she said as she proceeded to smack him upside the head. "I thought you we're going to KILL me!!" She moved from his head to his torso as she shoved him roughly toward the door, relieved that she wasn't about to be violated and beaten horribly by Bradford. And that her accusations of him had been false, proving that he was indeed her friend. And a friend she was grateful for, but that still didn't mean that she wasn't EXTREMLEY annoyed with him.  
  
"Man I can't believe you put me through that! Are you insane!" Elizabeth shrieked as Bradford shut the door on the Guard, who was rapidly regaining consciousness. Elizabeth saw him get up and laughed at him through the glass. "Yeah YOU see how it feels to wake up and realize you're living in a fish tank."  
  
"I'm insane! You're the one who paraded your beau through the most crowded nightclub in the city and expected nothing to happen!" They were back to friendly banter now, insulting and calling names at each other as Bradford pulled a set of clothes out of his jacket.  
  
"What else can you fit in there?" Elizabeth said incredulously as he handed her the clothes she'd been wearing when she had been captured.  
  
"Well the brochure says two double barreled shotguns, twenty-four hand grenades and enough ammo to hold up a Las Vegas casino, but I'm guessing that with my lithe figure I could do that plus half more," he said nonchalantly.  
  
Elizabeth looked at him as though he was crazy, because she thought he was. Bradford picked up on it and looked at her just as bewildered as she had him.  
  
"What? It's standard Government Issue, blame your taxes, not me." He waved at the furious guard who had just realized where he was and then turned the light to Elizabeth's room off and the window went black as a screen was placed over it. "Now you change so that we can go rescue you're worse half," he said as he turned his back and faced the corner.  
  
Elizabeth began to redress herself and question Bradford in the process. "So you weren't trying to kill Will before?" she said as she pulled on her pants.  
  
"No, when the General said they were going to start the study as soon as Will was in full health I knew that I had to delay somehow, so I gave him the same thing they used to keep you knocked out."  
  
"Why did the government bother keeping me unconscious?" Elizabeth said as she slipped off the gown and donned her shirt and jacket.  
  
"They didn't want you realizing that they were starting the operations and then try and barter your way to his freedom with the information you had, they figured if he was already dead you'd be more complacent."  
  
"So where's Will? Elizabeth asked as she put on her socks and shoes and spotted the Guard's fallen gun on the floor.  
  
"Three levels down in a secret room in Grippa's office, the guards have all gone home for the weekend so it's pretty deserted, we should be safe if we go soon, the only other person I've seen in the building in the past hour is Miss Mackin and she was busy in her office on some conference call."  
  
Elizabeth paused as she formulated a plan in her mind but was taken aback as she heard the date. "The weekend?"  
  
"Yes, you've been asleep for almost three days, and the last showing of Pirates is in an hour and a half, which is why I had to act now." Bradford was getting visibly impatient facing the wall. "Are you done yet?"  
  
"One more question and I'll be decent," Elizabeth said as she picked up the fallen gun of the guard. "Who's in on this, the whole agency?"  
  
"See that's the funny thing," Bradford said, still facing the wall. "I don't think so, I mean when I went to the General he made a big fuss about this being a secret, which confirmed my suspicion that what they're doing here wasn't right, and that I needed to bust you out as soon as it was safest to do so. I think that it was mainly him and his agents, I can't see many others being a part of it, but..." But Bradford's sentence was cut off as Elizabeth hit him over the back of his head with the gun. He crumpled to the floor much as the Guard had done.  
  
Elizabeth bent over him with care. "I'm sorry Bradford, but I can't ruin your career as well as mine, I'll get this straightened out and everything will go back to normal, for you anyway." She stood and moved to go out the door, but paused as she saw the light glint off of something sticking out of Bradford's pocket.  
  
She stooped down once more and picked up Bradford's many keys on a large ring. She noticed that one was different from the others, the key to his BMW Z4. She smiled and stuck the ring in her pocket, after all, one of the others might come in handy when releasing Will.  
  
She then stood once more and moved to the door, taking one last look at Bradford and then charging out the door. "Hold on Will," she said in true cheesy heroine fashion, which oddly seemed appropriate. "I'm coming."  
  
*****  
  
Bradford opened his eyes about thirty seconds after she left, ending his charade of unconsciousness. What that girl was getting herself into he didn't know, but it was clear she didn't want him in the middle of it, so he would exercise his previous calling and stick to her shadow. What he couldn't believe was that she'd taken his keys. "That Pirate had a bad influence on her." He said as he stalked out the door. 


	22. Rude Awakening II: Bondage fun

AUTHOR'S VERY IMPORTANT BLAB: Ok here it is FINALLY!!!!! Oh GOSH what a pain in the neck this chapter has been! But now it's over and I can get on with the story, thank you all for being so patient, I'll update as soon as I can! The dramatic conclusion is about to take place!  
  
Will opened his eyes slowly, finally awakening after what felt like days of struggle. His head was swimming with the last events of his consciousness. The cold, dark tunnel and being lead by Elizabeth until Bradford had shown up and used some sort of bitter chemical to subdue him. Will's head pounded and his heart raged at the thought of Bradford and his betrayal. If Will ever escaped the prison he was in, he would be sure that his sword found the flesh of Bradford's neck just as soon as Will found Bradford.  
  
Taking up that thought Will scanned the prison he found himself in. It was a strange and sterile feeling room, white and impossibly clean walls were on all four sides, but the room was divided by a steel cage which separated Will from the door and escape. That was only one of the obstacles though, for Will was also strapped down to a cold steel table. They had removed his shirt but left him his pants (and dignity) with his sword still attached at the hilt. No doubt this was to add to his humiliation, for salvation with his blade lay so close and yet he was powerless to claim it. He struggled furiously at his steel bonds yet only succeeded in wiggling his fingers a few inches. He noticed that there were also many white circles crudely attached to his skin. He look to shelves lined with computers, like the ones Elizabeth worked with, and noticed that they recorded different numbers and lines, which, Will realized, were his heartbeat and breathing patterns.  
  
Then Will's melancholy deepened as his mind began questioning the fate that had befallen Elizabeth. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she close by? He struggled once more against the bondage that held him, and then in futility he sunk back down to the cold steel in order to wait out whatever fate had in store for him.  
  
As it turns out he didn't have to wait very long, a few minutes later the door on the opposite side of the cage opened to reveal a middle aged and cold looking individual staring at Will with an almost hungry lust in her eyes. It confused him, he'd grown up with the understanding of women to be fair and gentle creatures, in need of protection, incapable of foul measures. The look of the woman made Will squirm uncomfortably in an effort to try and put as much distance from himself and her as possible. Her cold face drawn back in a sinful smile that was really more of a smirk and sent shivers down Will's spine in a disquieting and nerve racking way. But he shrugged the feeling off, credited it to his current state of bondage and placed the thought far from his mind. He would not let the face of the woman, nor the licentious air emanating from her, put off his gentlemanly nature, and so, believing that she was friend not foe, Will smiled and addressed her pleadingly.  
  
"Hello there Miss, I hate to distress you but I am in an urgent need of help, could you please assist me?" Will smiled in a pathetic, but well meaning attempt to plead his case to the woman in hopes that he could soften her to his resolve.  
  
To Will it seemed as though it had worked too, as the woman's face softened and the air around seemed to disappear she looked at Will with wide, and innocent albeit shocked and concerned eyes. Will, pleased that his past viewpoint was correct, and that the woman was of no harm, continued to look at her pleadingly.  
  
"Are you really?" she asked urgently. Her voice was smooth and soft, and surprisingly controlled given the seriousness of the situation. "But they told me that you needed medical help, I thought you were here willingly!" she said puzzled, any trace of previous lust gone from her countenance.  
  
Will was relieved to find that she was as distraught as he was, "No Miss, I assure you that I am being held here against my wishes and that they have taken someone dear to me as well, can you help me?" Will's soulful and earnest eyes pleaded with the woman, it was a look that could have melted the Antarctic.  
  
"Of course," the woman said as she unlocked the cage with a set of keys. "Why are they holding you here?" she said as she came to stand alongside him.  
  
Will noticed momentarily the lustful look return to her eyes, but it left shortly after so Will thought nothing more of it, his gentlemanly trust winning the argument. "It is part of a plot," Will said once again trying to force apart the bonds that held him. "Your Government created a device, a horrid device designed for what purpose I am not sure but they plan to use me and characters like me for their own selfish purposes. Their device was stolen and I was brought here in the crossfire, now I don't know what will befall me or what will happen to the woman I was with. Please can you help me escape?" Will was too busy trying to bust open his bonds to see that she made no move.  
  
"What do you mean a character?" the woman asked looking at Will with penetrating eyes.  
  
"I know this may seem hard to believe, but my name is Will Turner and I came from the movie The Pirates of the Caribbean, I'm not from this world." Will stopped his struggle to notice that the woman hadn't moved. "What are you standing there for, please help me escape!"  
  
It was though his voice had snapped her back into reality as the woman suddenly moved to Will's right wrist, his hope was that she would be able to pry loose the barrier there, but was perplexed when she grabbed his wrist forcibly and twisted it to face her.  
  
The change on her face frightened her even more than her sudden stroking of his arm. The lustful look returned and was increased ten-fold as she traced the surface of the bare skin.  
  
"It worked," she said in a barely audible whisper. "You're actually Will Turner."  
  
"Of course I'm Will Turner, who else would I be!?" Will asked.  
  
Will would have smacked himself in the head if he had been allowed to, for trusting this foul minx for even a moment. Her fortunate timing should have tipped him off in the beginning and he should have realised that in this time, people were seldom as they seemed. Helpless and bound on the table Will could do nothing except watch fearfully the crazed gaze of the woman as she seemed to feast upon Will's captured image.  
  
She kept eyeing him as her fingers traced his wrist and than up his bare arm. To Will her touch was more vile than anything he had experienced, if simply because of the intentions behind it. It made him want to squirm and retch, but he would not give the woman the satisfaction of seeing him beaten. Despite his oppression Will tensed his muscles and turned his head away, refusing to pay any mind to the slow torture of the woman's sinful touch. Will knew that this woman had no virtuous thoughts in her mind as she traced her fingers along neck finally reaching his face.  
  
"I had worked so hard only to have it taken away... I thought it was all lost, but here you are." She cooed to herself as she cupped her hand around his cheek in an attempt to draw his face toward her, Will would have none of it and squirmed his head away from her clutch.  
  
She became instantly fierce as Will caught a glimpse of the insanity beneath the usually calmed exterior. She grabbed his face and wrenched it toward her digging her nails into Will's cheek drawing blood slightly. Will winced but wouldn't react otherwise. "You shouldn't shy away from me boy, I made you and I can take you right back," the foul woman said coldly.  
  
Will didn't know what was worse, the cruel insanity or the façade of love and softness pasted over her face next. "I wouldn't want to send you away just yet, I mean you barely got here and we've had no time to get properly acquainted," Will was enormously disturbed by what the woman's idea of 'acquaintance' would entail. But her arrogance did stir in Will a sudden curiosity and a pending question.  
  
"You brought me here? You made the machine? Why?" he yelled at her, before cringing at her change of expression.  
  
She made a sort of high-pitched squeal, inherently pleased that Will was interested in questioning her. "Well! He is a smart one now isn't he? Yes I did Lovely, I did bring about your being here, or rather my machine did," She said as she raked her hand through Will's mussed curls, Will winced as she suddenly grabbed a handful and pulled sharply. "Which leads me to another question, where is it?" she asked steely.  
  
Will was relieved that he could finally use something against her. "There's nothing you could do to me that would make me reveal that location," he said with a determination that matched the cruelty of the strange woman.  
  
"Oh gosh," she said as if she had let a terrible misunderstanding occur. "I'd never do anything to harm you." She finished as she cast her eyes upon him in a soft and almost friendly manner. Will was almost relieved until he saw the expression on her face change back to the look of cruelty and hatred.  
  
"It's what I'm going to do to her that you should be worried about," the foul woman said with a malicious grin.  
  
Suddenly, at her statement, Will threw himself against his restraints with renewed vigour, it seemed as though every fibre of him was screaming out in rage against the foul suggestions laced in the face of the seedy woman. Will thought he had been angry before, thought that Bradford's betrayal had stirred some darker feelings in him, but that was shallow compared to the intense loathing and rage he felt toward this woman, and the malevolent look in her eyes as she mentioned Elizabeth.  
  
"Where is she? What have you done to her? Tell me or I will show little pity when I catch you!" Came Will's furious demands in vain as he strained futilely against the steel that held him, causing him nothing but strain and a few fresh bruises.  
  
But Will's fury went little noticed by the woman who merely stood back and smiled that same lustful and malicious smile. "Such passion," she said wistfully. "Such fire, it's really very appealing."  
  
Will quieted instantly; he wanted nothing satisfying to show to the woman. "You loathsome creature," he spat at her. "The title of woman is too fair for you, I think that I shall call you it or thing instead. You lay one hand on Elizabeth and I'll..." But the it interrupted her lust turning briefly into frustration.  
  
"You'll what? Thrash around like a lunatic a bit more? How long do you think you can keep that up, until you break a rib or two? The walls are soundproof, the steel is unbreakable there is a large guard with a big gun that will shoot both you and her before you even set foot in the room she's in. Face it Will Turner, you have been beat." The woman strode closer to Will once more, the lustful look returning to her face. Her demeanour quieting as she came nearer to him and becoming more clear and determined.  
  
"You're helpless as a kitten," She continued as she stood in front of him again. "In fact I'm willing to wager you can't even stop me from doing exactly what I want to you," Will's rage was suddenly turned to fear and disgust as the woman stood over him with a look of thirst and passion in her eyes. Will was quite sure he could guess exactly what the woman wanted and his stomach churned at the thought of it.  
  
His eyes grew wide as she bent he head down and he squirmed in an attempt to miss her. But she wouldn't have it and grabbed his head holding it in position. He was trapped and doomed to this terrible fate and he felt his stomach wrench as the woman kissed him solidly. He was shamed and helpless and refused to move a muscle. She lifted his head and then Will realised that while he couldn't move his head from side to side, he could move it up and down.  
  
And with that Will drew his head back, and watch sickingly as the woman pulled away with a dreamy look on her face.  
  
"Now wasn't that better than thrashing around?" she said as she leaned in for another disturbing kiss.  
  
"No, but this is," Will said as he brought his forehead swiftly into the woman's nose with a crack, in an impromptu head butt.  
  
The woman reeled back, cradling a most certainly broken nose, which was already starting to bleed, letting out a string of curses too horrid to repeat in Will's mind, and he had sailed among pirates! Her rage was easy to see but Will spoke before she could retaliate against him, and she, still crippled by the pian and unable to do anything but swear horribly, could only listen.  
  
"You Miss, though you do not deserve the title, are the most foul creature I have ever encountered," he began, puffing out his chest indignantly. "I have battled the undead and rode savage and brutal seas, but I have never faced a more disgusting or disquieting foe than you. You who should be kind, gentle and helpful by nature to be turned, morphed into such a vile specimen, as one who pleasures in taking the virtue of others, is nauseating. Do not touch me again sickening thing, or the heavens themselves will open at the travesty that is your touch." Will spat ferociously at the woman, who was ever the more enraged.  
  
Righting herself finally, she ran to a drawer and pulled out a dirty looking bandage. She ran to Will and forced herself upon him once again, this time gagging his mouth so that he was paralysed both vocally and physically. Once her task was completed she stood back and looked at the furious, but helpless Will a smug, triumphant smile on her face.  
  
"You signed her death certificate boy," The woman said as she smiled at Will's shocked and horrified expression. "And instead of the quick painless death I had in mind, I may just take a little time to enjoy it instead." And before Will could shoot a look of worry and loathing at her she turned and left the room, slamming and locking the cage behind her and leaving Will to mourn over the pain his foolish mouth was causing Elizabeth.  
  
Elizabeth meanwhile, fresh from knocking Bradford out (for his own good of course) was racing frantically through the halls of the facility, racking her brain for the directions Bradford had given her.  
  
"Three flights down and then second on the left?... maybe it was two flights up and third on the right. Did he even mention a door on the right?" She asked herself as she flung open the door of the stairwell, and smacked right into Miss Mackin.  
  
"Oh! Miss Mackin! I'm so sorry!" Elizabeth called as she bent down to help her supervisor. She noticed a shocked and almost annoyed expression on her face, but dismissed it attributing it to the shock of a door being slammed into her as Miss Mackin suddenly became very excited.  
  
"Elizabeth! I was just coming to get you! I have horrible news, the General has gone mad! He's conducting some sort of experiment down in his office, and a young man is being held prisoner!" Elizabeth was immediately attentive, and grateful that Miss Mackin was on her side and knew of the betrayal in the agency.  
  
"I know Miss Mackin, they've had me locked up for days because I was harbouring the same man, his name is Will Turner and we have to get him home," Elizabeth was much relieved now that she knew she had a friend along to help, a friend who was as distressed about this whole mess as she was. "Do you know where they're keeping him?" Elizabeth asked frantically.  
  
"Yes I do, follow me," replied Miss Mackin heading back down the stairs. "The General has been acting strangely all week, and now I know why. When I confronted him about it before he attacked me!"  
  
Elizabeth noticed something about Miss Mackin that she hadn't before. "Your nose!" she exclaimed in horror. Miss Mackin looked startled and than looked back at her with seemingly earnest eyes. Her nose was purple around the edges and looked disfigured somewhat, as if it had recently been broken.  
  
"Yes, like I said the General betrayed us and took it out on me, now we haven't time to lose Elizabeth, let's go get Will," Miss Mackin said as she tore on down the stairwell.  
  
And Elizabeth, blind and ignorant, followed her swiftly not knowing of the doom and pain that lay ahead. 


	23. Stand Up and Be Accounted For

Author's Blab: Didn't take me as long to update this time did it! I told you all that it was a horrid chapter. But thanks for your patience and all your suggestions. We're almost there!!! So keep reading and keep reviewing and I'll have more just as soon as I can!  
  
Elizabeth couldn't believe her luck; she had finally made a break. Now Miss Mackin would lead her straight to Will and she could rescue him and they would make a clean get away off into the sunset... at which point she would send him back, into what could be oblivion. She was to be responsible for his possible death, in control of his improbable life. He completely trusted her, and she was lying to him. But Elizabeth shook her head, she couldn't focus on that, at the moment she only needed to focus on finding Will and getting him out of here before something terrible happened. As a mental note she added, to make sure something terrible would happen. She moved along as quickly as her heart would let her.  
  
Miss Mackin in all of her cruel fantasies couldn't have imagined a better situation than the one handed to her. She didn't even have to explain her situation to the guard now, not that he would have dared given her a problem. She didn't have to drag a struggling Elizabeth down three floors, she didn't have to endure the wailing and the crying (at least from her). She was given the element of surprise and she was going to use it. She couldn't wait to see the look of horror on that whelp's face, to see his futile struggles as she choked the life out of Elizabeth in front of his eyes. She almost skipped down three levels she was so excited. And that stupid Elizabeth, so foolish and trusting, didn't have a clue; thought she was even an ally! It almost made her chuckle, the irony of it all. But she didn't because it would have aroused suspicion in Elizabeth and she certainly did not want suspicion now, when she was so close to her vengeance.  
  
So Miss Mackin lead her down the corridors and stairs slowly and seriously, pausing in front of the General's door to be sure that Elizabeth would be the first sight to grace Will's eyes, before she entered and stole away his hopes gloriously. It would be perfect.  
  
"Now Elizabeth, I believe he's in here, you best enter first, I think it is you he is most longing to see," Miss Mackin said doing her best to cover a smirk in the process... this was going to be good.  
  
When they finally reached the door Elizabeth was too relieved to notice Miss Mackin's odd behaviour, pushing past her and entering the room. It was stark and white, like a laboratory, it gave her the shivers. She saw the General's desk, his computer and a series of monitors that, once she looked through the bars separating the room, were monitoring Will!  
  
"Will!" she squealed as she ran into the room and to the door in the bars. Will was instantly alert and she could see his surprise and happiness as he saw her. But he couldn't speak, he was gagged and there were a series of cuts on his cheek, he was also shirtless. That image stole Elizabeth's breath away for a moment, Will's tense muscles under his smooth bronze skin. She had to gulp to swallow the pool of drool forming in her mouth. Man that man was gorgeous.  
  
But she was shaken from her girlish fantasy as Miss Mackin entered the room. "Is that him, Elizabeth?" she said quietly.  
  
Will on the other hand was anything but quiet, as soon as Miss Mackin had spoke he began throwing himself against his bonds, catching Elizabeth's attention and completely wigging her out. She looked at him in horror, fearing he'd gone into a seizure.  
  
"Will!" she screamed as she banged against the cage and door separating them. "Will what's wrong?" He stopped and began shaking his head toward her, but she couldn't understand his meaning, he was too frantic. "Miss Mackin, something's wrong with Will we have to get him out of here!" Elizabeth tried to pry open the door, but nothing would budge it. Then she remembered Bradford's keys. "Miss Mackin, I'll try my keys while you keep watch," she said as she started fumbling through her pocket. She found the keys and started jamming them into the lock one by one.  
  
Miss Mackin found it very difficult not to burst out in cynical laughter. Elizabeth was a headless chicken, trying to deal with all the pressures around her, but failing due to her lack of brain. And Will was frantic as well, trying to clue the brainless Elizabeth into her impending doom, but only accomplishing a surprisingly good impression of a dying fish. Miss Mackin made faces behind Elizabeth's back and mocked pummelling her over the head with a hammer, which wasn't a bad idea... but not quite fitting enough for her end.  
  
A muffled sound broke Elizabeth's concentration on the lock. She looked up to see Will straining against the steel and trying to yell through his gag.  
  
"Lth, bnd oo!" Will muffled.  
  
"What?" Elizabeth said as she fumbled through the keys.  
  
"Thh onen bnd oo!" Will muffled louder.  
  
Will was causing Elizabeth to fumble and drop the keys as he screamed through the gag. "LOOK!" she yelled at him. "I CAN'T GET YOU OUT IF YOU'RE CONSTANTLY YELLING AT ME!"  
  
"Buth icks inanped!" Will muffled quietly.  
  
Miss Mackin thought she was caught when Will started mumbling a warning incomprehensibly through his gag, but she had again been saved by Elizabeth's stupidity, it was all too funny. Elizabeth went back to the lock, and she crept ever closer, pulling a string of nylon out of her pocket, ready to strike.  
  
Will was really freaking out now, which was starting to totally freak out Elizabeth. He was screaming and thrashing, and Elizabeth looked up into his eyes and saw a fear and panic within them that frightened her. She didn't know what he was trying to say but the faster she got in there the faster she could find out. She calmed her hand and started to go through the keys methodically, but quickly. Will never stopped in his attempts to speak to her.  
  
"It's ok Will, I only have a few keys left, I'll have you out of there in a moment." She said flipping through keys impatiently. Than Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she found the right key and heard a click in the lock. She pushed the door open and ran toward Will as fast as her legs would carry her. Will instantly stopped moving, and she rushed to his side and loosed the gag in his mouth. She hadn't finished before Will started yelling.  
  
"Elizabeth behind you!" But Elizabeth couldn't respond due to the tight, burning sensation around her neck as a nylon string closed off her windpipe.  
  
Elizabeth tried to scream but there was no air to support the sound. She didn't know what to do, she was frozen in shock, and little stars were starting to gather in her sight. Slowly her limbs were going numb and her joints were restricted, not unlike in the nightmares that had been haunting her. From somewhere it seemed both high above and far below voices were calling to her.  
  
"Elizabeth, FIGHT!" called Will frantically. Elizabeth liked the sound of his voice, but didn't like the edge in it, he should calm down, like she was. "Let her go!" he called again.  
  
"Silly boy, she's not going to do anything, she's to scared to put up much of a fight," the voices were lulling her into a peaceful sleep, so much so that she began sinking slowly to the floor.  
  
"Elizabeth! ELIZABETH!" Will sounded scared and angry, not at all how Elizabeth felt, still and serene. She heard a cruel laugh, which jarred her slightly, but not enough to give her the motivation to do anything.  
  
"You fool," Miss Mackin said coldly. "She's about to die, just like her parents did, in fact, it's the same piece of nylon cord, three birds with one rope, that must be a new record." Something about that comment made Elizabeth angry, really angry, angry enough to care about living another minute in order to make that comment eat its words.  
  
Elizabeth put her feet flat on the floor and shoved, searing pain in her limbs and all. And it was a pretty decent shove, seeing as she was almost to the ground and she had the full expanding of her legs to give her momentum. It was so effective that it threw Miss Mackin, and Elizabeth attached, into the cage, forcing the string to loosen and Elizabeth to slip free from the nylon and into a mad coughing fit.  
  
"YES!" was all that Will could do from his bound position.  
  
But Elizabeth was in a far better position, once she had stopped coughing, she righted herself and delivered a firm kick in payment for her pain. "What did you say?" Elizabeth said filled with shock, and disbelief. "You're the one that killed my parents? That's impossible, I hadn't even met you when they were killed." Miss Mackin, crumpled on the floor, started to speak.  
  
"Why do you think I put such a hard request for you to start working here after your parents died, if I couldn't force you to complete the work for me, I'd coerce you into doing it instead," she coughed.  
  
"But the government were the ones trying to protect my parents, they were the ones that saved me in the first place," Elizabeth was trying to grasp all of the information and possibilities coursing through her head.  
  
"You betrayed the Ghost," Will said solemnly.  
  
"What?" Said Elizabeth. "How did you know that?"  
  
If Will had listened he didn't make a sign of it, he just kept going. "Bradford was told to back Elizabeth and you made sure that he was fed wrong information so that he would be too late, than Elizabeth would be destroyed emotionally and you would be able to con her into doing pretty much anything you wanted."  
  
"Bradford, what has he got to do with anything? Will you're not making any sense." Elizabeth was utterly confused now.  
  
"No, he's a smart boy," Miss Mackin said as she took advantage of Elizabeth's confusion and began to stand. "Bradford told him his side and he filled in the rest. I knew you wouldn't be up to the challenges I had in store for you Elizabeth, not with the image of your perfect parents there to support you, so I took them away,"  
  
"But how did you even know about me?" Elizabeth whispered.  
  
"You really are thick aren't you, I was the one who hired you, I was the one who sent the thugs, you were working for me, that is until you got scared and pulled out. I thought I'd lost you then, but it worked out and I was able to hold onto your skill a little longer. I would have given you a cut you know, in the end. Who knows I may even have let you keep a Will of your own, or maybe a Todd... but no, you didn't turn the computer in like you were supposed too, you got involved. I really had thought you'd got that whole 'follow your heart' ideal out of your system, but oh well. No matter," she said as she pulled a wicked looking gun out of her coat.  
  
"Can't kill you the old fashion way, I'll try with a new method." She sneered as she aimed the gun level with her head. 


	24. Stalling

A/N: Ok so yeah I waited a bit too long to update, so sue me!!! It took me a while because well... THERE'S ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER AFTER THIS ONE!!!! Then it's done! It's finished! And that is why it took me so long to update... I DON'T WANT IT TO BE DONE!! But the next chapter is the last one... sniff but yeah, continue to review because I love it so!  
  
Miss Mackin held the gun level to Elizabeth's head and prepared to fire.  
  
"Bradford!" Will called through clenched teeth.  
  
"What?!" Miss Mackin yelled as she whirled around and received a face full of Bradford's fist. She crumpled like a rag doll.  
  
"I've become a bit more punctual since you last gave me instruction Miss Mackin." He said as he smiled at her unconscious form. He looked from Elizabeth to Will and back to Elizabeth again, an inquisitive look crossing his face. "Are you two ready to go? Or are you just going to stand there dumfounded for a while."  
  
Elizabeth and Will were staring at Bradford with jaws dropped. Elizabeth believed him unconscious and Will thought he was a traitor, so the idea of him standing there, fully aware and having just saved them from a terrible fate came as a bit of a shock.  
  
"Bradford, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth managed to yell out after a moment.  
  
"What?" was all that Will could manage.  
  
"First things, you really don't hit that hard Elizabeth I mean honestly, if you expected me to be knocked out after that than you really underestimate my physical strength, because, well no offence, but even with the hilt of a gun you hit like a girl." He sniggered as he went over to the General's desk and started playing with the computer. Elizabeth was about to respond, but he continued.  
  
"Second, if you thought you were going to leave me out of this, you had another thing coming," he said as a click was heard and Will was suddenly freed. "Even if you stole my car keys."  
  
"She didn't steal them," said Will beaming as he strode up to him, hand out held. "She merely borrowed them in order to aide in my escape, and I am sorry to have doubted you previously," he added sincerely, chastising himself for his previously violent thoughts.  
  
Bradford stood and took his hand, before noticing the stirring form of Miss Mackin on the floor. "Let's give her a taste of her own medicine shall we?" Bradford said crossing back to the desk and pulling a small syringe out of a drawer.  
  
"Let me guess, that's a little sedative not unlike the one you drugged us with?" Elizabeth said with a smile.  
  
"The one and same," said Bradford. "Now Will if you could be so kind," Bradford said pointing to the slowly reviving form of Miss Mackin, as Elizabeth stifled a giggle.  
  
"Very kind," said Will sitting on Miss Mackin with delight as Bradford injected the chemical into her arm and Elizabeth burst out in giggles, drawing interesting looks from both Will and Bradford.  
  
"I swear you two should listen to yourselves sometimes, it's hilarious." She said as she helped Will to his feet and watched as Bradford lugged Miss Mackin over to the cage and placed her on the table, her face slack and expressionless.  
  
"Well now that she's out of the way for a while, what say you to getting out of here and getting you back to your movie!" Bradford said, his face spilling more glee than he meant to.  
  
That statement brought anything but glee to Elizabeth's face, and in fact sucked most of the glee right out of the room, it was finally time, she would finally send him back and he would be out of her life. She looked up at Will, at his sweet face, now marred by the sudden realization of Bradford's statement. And then he looked down at her, and their eyes met both with the brief sorrow and longing that only they could understand... Than Will took her hand and broke the stare, turning to Bradford.  
  
"Let's go now before I change my mind," he said with a small sigh.  
  
Elizabeth fought and won the battle with the tears in her eyes and turned to Bradford her face dry but grieving. "I know what you mean," as she squeezed Will's hand and smiled slightly. They followed Bradford out the door.  
  
They passed through the winding halls of the agency with little difficulty, it really seemed as though the whole office had taken the weekend off. It was strange but, seeing as they were trying to escape and this was making it a whole lot easier, neither Will, Bradford or Elizabeth put much thought into it.  
  
They came to the agency parking lot and Elizabeth realised that she still had Bradford's keys in her pocket. A tiny smile crept onto her face as she decided to have a little fun with him. They walked calmly up to it, but just before they reached it Elizabeth pushed the unlock button ran up and jumped into the front seat and started the car with a whirr, giggling like a madwoman.  
  
"I've always wanted to do that," she said smiling lightly.  
  
Bradford wasn't amused. "Haha very funny, get out," he said sardonically.  
  
"What? I earned this! I mean come on, why do the agents always get the nice cars! Will you can hop in the front with me." Elizabeth said with a little grin, her melancholy at losing him being pushed aside for a moment of insanity.  
  
But Bradford wasn't nearly as giddy. "Yes that's because agents are nice, and don't go around stealing other peoples car keys!" he said his patience wearing a little thin.  
  
"Commandeering," Will corrected, as he moved to the front of the car.  
  
"What?" a somewhat deflated and confused Bradford let out.  
  
"It's 'Commandeering the keys', it's a nautical term," Will said matter-of- factly as he hopped into the front seat, causing Elizabeth to snicker even more.  
  
"You two are really starting to bug me," Bradford said as he hopped into the back. With that Elizabeth squealed out of the parkade and took off into the busy city streets.  
  
It was a half an hour until the movie started, and Elizabeth decided that it was best if Will go back to her apartment to change, she didn't want him sent back to the 18th century wearing his 21st century clothes... that might cause a bit of a stir, so she took them back to her apartment for a quick pit stop, and some food because neither her nor Will had eaten in three days and both were famished. They had eaten quickly and now Will was changing in the bathroom. Elizabeth chuckled to herself as she recalled Will's first, and now last, encounter with TV dinners.  
  
"The whole meal... out of one box?" He had said, stunned.  
  
"Yep, out of one, single box... it's kind of like magic isn't it?" she had said dramatically... stifling a giggle.  
  
"And you stick it in that other box and it comes out warm?" he said pointing to the microwave.  
  
"Yes isn't it wonderful what one can do with freeze dried food," Elizabeth had said almost as dryly as the food had been.  
  
"It's amazing the advances that have happened in such a short time, I mean you've progressed farther in a couple hundred years than humanity has advanced in millennia!" His sincerity was what Elizabeth found most amusing, and entrancing, the fire that had burned in his eyes, his wonder and amazement... at something as mundane as a microwave.  
  
Why couldn't everyone be like him?  
  
Elizabeth's chuckling roused Bradford who had been napping on the bed.  
  
"What's so funny?" He said through one cracked eye.  
  
"Nothing," Elizabeth said quickly, and then she reconsidered. "Everything. I mean I have a Pirate dressing in my bathroom! A week ago I was a normal girl, I was shy I was a loner. I mean I had very little excitement in my life and in the past week I have done things that people only dream of. I never wanted another adventure, and now. I mean I've harboured a government experiment, I've beaten up thugs, I've cracked a government conspiracy. I've..." her chuckling became more emotional as the events of the past week, the past hour finally caught up with her.  
  
"I've faced my parents killer..." She suddenly stopped chuckling as if shocked by her own statement. "I found out why they died, I stood up to the person responsible. I didn't back down, I wasn't scared! I mean I could have died, you could have died, Will could have died." Elizabeth was becoming hysterical, torn whether to be scared or proud.  
  
"But they still, I mean it was so close, a moment longer and... what was I thinking," her head was spinning and she could barely recognize her own thoughts as self doubt started to overwhelm her once more.  
  
"But you beat them," Bradford interjected suddenly, standing up and moving toward Elizabeth. "You stood and you beat her and you didn't back down and you weren't scared, and you were stronger than she thought and you are stronger than you think." He said seriously. There wasn't any of his usual sarcasm in the statement, not even a hint, and Elizabeth realised for the first time, just how much Bradford cared about her.  
  
"But if you hadn't shown up when you did, the outcome could have been very different," Elizabeth said sullenly.  
  
"But I did show up," Bradford said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah you did, just like you did those years ago." Elizabeth said quietly.  
  
"Oh, that," Bradford's face suddenly flushed. "Yeah, like I said my timing has improved much since."  
  
The depth of Bradford's care and devotion to her was slowly dawning on Elizabeth... and maybe just maybe, more tender feelings were starting to show.  
  
"Thank you Bradford, for being there to save me," she said as she stood and kissed him on the cheek. "And for continuing to save me." She ruffled his hair playfully and smiled at him warmly.  
  
Now, it seemed to her that the friendly feelings she was having toward him could have lead to a potentially awkward moment... but Will was done and as he stepped back into the living room all of Elizabeth's thoughts were turned back to him. His constantly mussed curls, his sweet, sincere smile, his uncertain laugh and his deep brown eyes. Her heart raced as she saw him, back in pirate gear, sword at his side, and all romantic thoughts of Bradford were pushed aside as she remembered and relived all of the moments her and Will had spent together.  
  
From the first meeting in her car on that fateful stormy night, to the revelation of the computer and the government's betrayal she remembered every detail fondly. She remembered his chivalrous rescue in the alleyway, and their awkward moments in those days that had passed when neither one knew what the other was thinking or feeling. The sword and dance lessons and their trip to the mall, and their kiss in the middle of the dance floor, then the kiss at the side of the dance floor and then in her kitchen, and back to the one in the living room and the one at the bathroom door... she wished now that there could have been more. She wished she could have stored up a lifetime of Will's kisses in order to recall them in the times of loneliness that she realised now were inevitably ahead. But she shook her head, what was she doing to herself? Why was she torturing herself with these memories when she knew that the end of them was so near, when Will's leaving was so close? What craziness drove her to act this way!?  
  
Unknown at that moment, even to her, she had done something else that week. She had fallen deeply in love, and whether she wanted it to or not, it wasn't going anywhere quick no matter how much she tried to push it away.  
  
Will broke the silence first. "Did I miss something?" he said as he looked at Bradford and Elizabeth, who were a LOT closer than they had been when he had entered the bathroom.  
  
Elizabeth jumped, which didn't help her case, but that didn't matter at the moment, she'd been thinking of Will anyway so it's not like she had a guilty conscience, she was just startled out of her reverie rather abruptly. "No, not much, just a reconciliation of sorts, we had better be going," she said.  
  
"Yeah we really should," Bradford added quickly, his conscience was a lot more guilty and the look of Will's sword did a lot more to frighten him.  
  
"I suppose you're right," Will said as he shrugged, took Elizabeth's hand and lead her out the door, shooting a 'hands off' look to Bradford, who was happy to hang back.  
  
At the car Bradford moved ahead and prepared to take the back like he had before, but Elizabeth surprised him.  
  
"Wait Bradford, you can take your keys back, I'm sorry I took them from you." She said a little sheepishly.  
  
"What? You're admitting you were wrong!" Bradford said sarcastically.  
  
"Nah, I just wanted to sit in the back with Will," she said as she looked up at Will a small smile on her face, which was mirrored and then doubled by Will.  
  
Bradford was slightly deflated by that but he shrugged and hopped into the front. "Ok, I mean it is the last time you're going to see him... ever," He took comfort in that statement, even though it tore at Will and Elizabeth.  
  
Will, ever the gentleman, helped Elizabeth into the back and then hopped in himself, both wondered what they might say to each other but neither could think of the right words and so both snuggled into one another and stayed silent throughout the trip.  
  
Elizabeth closed her eyes and breathed in his scent and memorized the feeling of his body against hers, while Will looked down at her in an attempt to burn every image of her appearance into his mind. He looked at her peaceful expression as she snuggled her head closer into his shoulder and sighed. He wanted nothing more than to stop the car and steal her away forever... but he had promised to follow her wishes, and he was a man of his word.  
  
The ride to the theatre was too short for both of them.  
  
They stood in front of the theatre, hand in hand, and prepared to enter and say goodbye to one another for the final time. It was a very dramatic moment and many people commented to each other after they had seen it. Two people full of sadness, full of longing, looking like they could both curl up and die any minute, stride slowly into the movie theatre. They commented on how horrible it must be for two people, so young and attractive as they, to live in such sadness.  
  
The inside of the theatre couldn't be more opposite than it had been the week before, no lines of fans, no screaming girls or bustling boys. It was quiet, almost to the point where Elizabeth and Bradford questioned whether this was in fact the right theatre. But they both knew that it was and so walked through the unguarded doors and into a trap.  
  
For as soon as they entered they saw that not only was this the right theatre, but Hen was there, ready with the computer and surrounded by about twenty agents all brandishing wicked looking guns and fierce scowls. And General Grippa, at the head of it all, smiling like some sort of idiot schoolboy.  
  
"Why hello Elizabeth, so nice of you and Will to join us." 


	25. Deus Ex Machina

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok so I'm a big evil person, honest I am! I've made you wait so long! I didn't mean to honest!!!! BUT you wanted a last chapter... and boy did you get a doozy! Yes siree over 4000 words long this is!! It's intense, it's awesome! I love it! I hope you do to, and I hope you tell me! Ok so I'm done... and here I go... the final chapter of OUR FINE HERO!!!!

Bradford was baffled, his jaw was almost on the floor. Will was instantly defensive, stepping forward, drawing his sword and placing Elizabeth behind him he acted as a shield. Elizabeth however, was in shock, and hardly believed it until her eyes adjusted to the dark theatre and she could see for herself, hadn't the General taken the day off? Then her brain started working again; of course the General had taken the day off... to come here, to intercept the computer! And she had been too wrapped up in her worry over Will to think of it. She cursed herself for her stupidity, and cursed the General for his twenty men.

"I will not let you touch her, may my body be riddled with lead if you take her from me while I still have strength to draw my sword." Will said very heroically.

"Will, Will, You're no good to me full of bullet holes, it would throw off the diagnostic results." The General said coolly.

"Why did you do this General!?" Elizabeth said, finally recovering from her shock. "What gives you the right! Don't you realize that we HAVE to send him back?! If there is anything in you that loves the rights of this country, PLEASE do the right thing and help us send him back," she pleaded.

"The rights of this country! The rights of this country! Elizabeth that is what I am sacrificing so hard in order to protect!" The General declared vehemently.

"How does stealing someone's life and then using it as a lab experiment constitute as protecting it! How do you justify using and manipulating a living, feeling human being!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Elizabeth, I own him, he's not the REAL Will, he's just a copy, its not like anyone is going to notice that he's gone!" The General spat out the words like it was the best thing he'd ever said, and to Elizabeth it was the worst thing she'd ever heard.

Will turned to her with a look in his eyes that could only be called betrayal. The General seemed pleased.

"What's this?" the General smirked. "Haven't told him he's a fake, a copy, not real,"

"He is real General!" Elizabeth shouted above her doubt. "He's more real than you and I will do anything to protect him from you," she said, as she looked Will in the eye. "Even give him up."

"I won't let you get in the way of my dream Elizabeth, for the good of this country I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want," the General retorted.

"See this is where I get confused, how on earth do you think Will Turner is going to save the country?" Bradford piped up.

"Not Will Turner, he was a mere mishap, what I need are soldiers," the General said almost gleefully.

"Soldiers?" Bradford and Elizabeth stuttered.

"Yes you simpletons, haven't you noticed the pitiful state of defence in this country? Everywhere you look you have the children of rich hippies, nobody willing to stand and do what's right, no one willing to defend the freedom that thousands have died to protect, look at us! A country filled with protesters and objectors when it should be should with soldiers and patriots, well I'm not going to stand by and let the freedom of this country go down the drain! Which is why I was so willing to help Miss Mackin when she suggested an experimental machine that could be used to bring cinematic figures into our world, their strength and ideals retained."

Elizabeth could hardly take in the plot unfolded to her, this was insane, it was ludicrous! But still the general continued.

"Imagine it, an unlimited amount of ready and willing soldiers at our disposal, each more patriotic than the rest. Thousands willing to die for our cause, and the best part is they're so easily replaceable... no weeping families, no bad press. Where one goes down we can send in hundreds more. No one will dare oppose us."

There was a sickening feeling in the pit of Elizabeth's stomach that threatened to overwhelm her. "You're insane," she spat at the General.

"That may be debatable, but I also have twenty men here with me who are very warming to my cause, and you only have a pitiful agent and an out of place pirate, so I don't think you'll be standing in my way much longer." The General smirked as he raised his gun and prepared to fire.

"Good bye Elizabeth, it is a pain that it turned out this way, I did so enjoy working with you." The hammer clicked and a shot was heard.

And the gun went flying out of the General's hand.

"Hello General!" A loud and cheery voice came from somewhere above them.

In a flash no less than forty to fifty flashlights were shining down on them. "I would suggest you tell your men to lower their weapons, unless of course you find them as easily expendable as you plan your soldiers to be!" Another voice said from above and opposite the first.

The guns dropped instantly.

"I love how cooperative your goons are General, Simon Says put your hands up!" A third voice came from the front of the theatre.

The hands were up instantly.

Elizabeth was baffled, confounded and confused, who were these people, how did they know about this, and why did they sound vaguely familiar.

"Chy, hit the lights won't you darling? It's awfully dark in here," said the voice in the front of the theatre.

"My pleasure Brooke, I'd love to illuminate the situation," a voice replied as the theatre was suddenly filled with light and all parties squinted to adjust to the sudden change.

"Chy, honestly you and your puns," The third voice rang as Elizabeth opened her eyes to see that all around the theatre figures in black were surrounding them all training their guns on the General and his men. Then Elizabeth noticed that three figures were converging in on them. One was tall, one looked a little jumpy and one had strawberry blond hair.

Will was the first to notice.

"THE GIRLS FROM THE MALL!!!" he shouted.

"He remembers us!" The Jumpy one, said in a revered tone.

"Becky, Brooke, Chy, I was wondering if you guys would show up today," Bradford said calmly.

Elizabeth and Will looked at him like he was more insane than the General.

"Allow me to introduce the leaders of the Venture Squad; Becky, Brooke, and Chy. They've been doing special ops since they were twelve." Bradford said with what could only be called a hint of pride.

"Think Agent Cody Banks, only cooler," Brooke said.

"They've been bugging me about this case since practically the beginning, is he really Will Turner? What's this got to do with Hen? Where are they going to meet? These three have been running my back about you two for ages." He said with his trademark sly grin,

"Yep and we figured this would be a good place to catch the action, so we took our goon..."

"Hey!" a dejected cry came up from the back.

"Sorry Jason," Brooke said insincerely. "We brought our _team_ here in hopes that we could finally place the right blame on the people responsible for stealing over two hundred and fifty million of our tax payers dollars."

"And thanks to the General's marvellous confession," Beck broke in. "We've stopped an egregious theft from happening as well!"

"Honestly General, your lack of faith in this country hurts," Chy finished. "Everyday people sign up and devote their lives to protecting the freedoms and beliefs of this great nation. And you would exploit the recreation and entertainment of these people undermining the great rights and freedoms they are protecting. I honestly believe you insane General."

"I'll get you for this..." The General started, but Brooke knocked him unconscious with the butt of her gun before he could finish.

"I was getting so tired of that guy," she said nonchalantly.

"Ok boys," Beck said speaking to the General's goons. "We can do this the easy way, you put your hands out, my men cuff them and lead you back to headquarters and your prosecuted duly for your crimes... or we could start fighting and some of you if not all of you will end up dead." Her voice commanded a lot of confidence.

The goons chose the easy way.

"I knew we had an understanding," she said sweetly. "Jason if you would be so kind as to escort these men out of here, we have a bit more business to attend to."

"Sure thing Beck," he said as he started to lead the men out.

In a moment they were all gone, and Elizabeth, Will, Bradford, Hen and the leaders were standing in the theatre wondering what could possibly come next. Bradford and his eagerness reminded them.

"Well we should probably do what we came here for, Hen you ready?" Bradford said casually, as if the event taking place was of no more importance than switching over the laundry.

Hen was sullen in his response, not quite sure of what to make of all this. "Sure I just need to set up and I'll need someone to cue the movie for me."

"I'll take care of it," Chy said as she headed for the projecting room.

Hen started to set up and Elizabeth couldn't decide if things were going a mile a minute or if every second was an agonizing hour. What was going to happen? Was she just supposed to say goodbye to Will now that he knew the truth, now that he knew he could stay? Brooke broke her silence.

"You two ok?" she asked quizzically as she stared at them.

Elizabeth didn't realize that her and Will had hardly moved during the whole exchange, both were too stunned to care.

"Uh, yeah were fine," Elizabeth stuttered.

"You two weren't easy to stop you know?" Brooke said seriously.

"What?" Will asked.

"You two weren't easy to track, once Bradford told us about you we had to find out for ourselves, hence our lovely little scene in the mall. We knew you weren't Orlando as soon as we saw that you were missing the sun tattoo by the way."

Will coloured a little at that one, "Yes well you didn't have to be so intrusive about it."

"What?" Elizabeth said incredulously.

"They were not the only one who got their shirts lifted," he said colouring even more.

Elizabeth gawked at Brooke who merely smiled at them mischievously and continued. "At any rate we knew we had to get that computer from you, to keep it safe of course. So we followed you to the club."

"I love Maria's they make great chicken wings," Beck interjected as she passed messages back and forth to Chy and Hen.

"Anyway, we knew we had to stop you from getting to the other side without drawing attention to you, that would have hurt us even more, the last thing we needed was Will all over the eleven o'clock news."

"Boy were we right about that one," Beck said in passing once more.

"So we set up the slow song," she smiled mischievously again.

"That was you?" Elizabeth said, stunned.

"You think you get that kind of selection at Maria's? They may have great chicken wings but they're taste in music sucks, and that song happens to be one of my personal favourites."

"It would have worked too," Beck said passing by and then thinking better of it and stopping to join in on the story.

"But you two had a few more tricks up your sleaves than we had counted on," Brooke said her smile growing.

"Waltzing across the dance floor, how romantic," Becky said dreamily. "And then you kissed!"

"Chill Becky!" Brooke said a little exasperated.

"Why are you telling us this?" Will said visibly hurt.

"I'm just saying," Brooke said seriously all traces of her smile leaving. "You two work really great together."

"But it doesn't matter because we have to send him back," Elizabeth broke in. "I have to go help Hen." And she broke contact with Will without looking back.

The preparations were made, the machine was ready, the movie was set.

"Will you stand in the aisle about twenty feet up, we'll have you back in a moment," Hen said.

Elizabeth just stood there, numb, because if she let any emotion she wouldn't be able to do what she was about to do, she wouldn't be able to say goodbye. She'd be selfish and force him to say.

"This isn't right," Brooke said.

"Huh? But I made sure the calculations were correct! Everything is perfect!" Hen said disbelievingly.

"Give them a moment to say goodbye," Beck said.

"Yeah," Chy said as she pushed Elizabeth forward.

Elizabeth didn't want to do this... she didn't want to face his face, his eyes. So she didn't she looked down at her toes and walked forward until she could see the tips of his boots in front of her.

"Bye," Elizabeth said in a whisper.

To Elizabeth's surprise Will chuckled.

"We've been thrown into each other's lives, beaten goons, faced mobs, snobs and conspiracies, almost died several times... and all you can manage is a little bye," Will said chuckling a little more.

Elizabeth chuckled a little too, now that she thought about it she must've looked rather pathetic. She looked at Will smiling but feeling sadder than she had ever had "Look! This is hard enough as it is, I mean what else does one say to a torn pirate/blacksmith? Send me a postcard?"

Will chuckled a little more, "I'd agree to that! If I knew what a postcard was..." he snickered. "So I suppose this is it Miss Cartwright, would you be ill toward a friendly hug goodbye?" Will asked that silly grin still plastered on his face.

Unable to deny him his final request Elizabeth nodded stupidly. "There's no harm in a friendly hug," she said as they embraced.

All of her composure rushed away as they made contact and she was glad he was pulling her so close if only for the fact that now he couldn't see the agony on her face and the tears that were almost running down her cheeks. He started to pull her away and she started to panic.

"Well than I guess there's nothing left to say," she said quickly, trying to hide her pain through a smile.

Will it seemed could see through it and said the one thing strong enough to break through the barrier.

"How about I love you," he said, any sign of a smile leaving his lips. (Beck swooned in the background)

Elizabeth gasped a little, taken completely off guard and at a loss of what to say, so she tried to keep things light like they had been only seconds before, even though her rapidly failing composure made her look fairly pitiful.

"Well isn't that nice," she said rather flatly pasting a grin (more of a grimace) on her face.

"I said I love you, Elizabeth, and I mean what I say," Will was throwing his cards on the table, laying his heart on the line, begging, pleading with Elizabeth. But Elizabeth didn't want to see, so she fought against it, she looked at the floor once more.

"I think we've said enough, time to go," she said quickly dashing back to Hen, who was minding his own business, and Bradford, who looked mildly amused, and the Venture Squad... who looked VERY disappointed.

"Ok let's get this show on the road," Elizabeth said stirring Hen from his guilt.

"Umm there's a timer on the device that I have to set so they'll be a thirty second countdown." He said sheepishly.

"Ok I don't care just as long as you get it done," Elizabeth said rather harshly.

"You don't have to yell at Hen!" Chy said.

"I'm not yelling at anyone!" Elizabeth yelled.

"Thirty seconds," Hen said.

"Good," Elizabeth said a little harshly.

"You don't have to do this Elizabeth," Brooke said.

"We would protect you and Will," Becky started.

"Look I don't have the... just why don't you..." Elizabeth couldn't keep her thoughts straight. So she glanced about the room and as though drawn magnetically, her eyes rested on Will.

"Twenty seconds," Hen said.

Will's eyes held no anger, no betrayal. He wasn't making excuses or asking for second chances, he was respecting Elizabeth's decision; he was doing what she had told him to.

And she was making the right decision... right? She was sending Will back, she was keeping him safe, protecting him from the evils of her world. It wasn't like this was easy for her! It wasn't like she WANTED him to go back I mean she loved him too!

At that Elizabeth paused... she loved him too?

"Ten seconds," Hen said.

SHE DID LOVE HIM TOO!!

So that's why everyone was so... right. Her sending Will back was a stupid, stupid decision. She loved him, and he loved her! How often does that happen!

"Five... Four..."

"STOP!!!!!" Elizabeth screamed.

"Two... One," Hen said smiling.

Nothing happened.

"What?" Elizabeth said bewildered.

"I was wondering when you would finally come to your senses... nothing like a good old fashioned count down to lay on the pressure," he said smirking.

"So if I hadn't yelled out nothing would have happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"No I would have hit the enter button and sent him back to the movie. The program's ready to fire, I just made up the whole count down thing to give you time to change your mind... it's a good thing I did too, you needed the whole thirty seconds to realize that a love like that is hard to find in this kind of reality."

"But I mean... you told me I had to send him back! You're the one who convinced me to give him up in the first place!" Elizabeth stuttered.

"That was before I was given a little push in the right direction by Chy over there... movie timing wasn't the only thing Beck was passing messages about..." at this both Becky and Chy blushed slightly.

"So... I mean... what does this mean?" Elizabeth's confusion overwhelmed her for a moment... surely this wouldn't mean... could she keep Will? Could she live happily ever after? Was that even possible?

It seemed Will held the answer to her questions both spoken and unheard.

"It means that I'm here to stay," Will said as he walked up to Elizabeth slowly. "That is, if you still want me to," he finished shyly.

Elizabeth felt like yelling at the top of her lungs, felt like telling the whole world how happy she was. Will was hers to cherish and love forever and ever. She was so happy she didn't know how to express the joy she felt. So she made a lame joke instead

"That's you know if you can stand sleeping in my bathtub for a couple of nights while I search for a bigger apartment for us," she said with a smirk.

Will didn't really know how to respond to that, so he didn't and just left his mouth agape at her foolishness... which gave her the perfect opportunity to plant a massive and almost heart-stopping kiss.

All of the Venture Squad sighed and swooned.

When Will and Elizabeth finally untangled their lips from one another both were breathless. They just stood there with their foreheads pressed together giving each other silly grins.

"I love you Will Turner," Elizabeth whispered when enough breath had returned.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok... that's nice isn't it??? Makes you feel all warm inside doesn't it... ****sighWell if that's the kind of feeling you want then fine... leave it here... scroll down and review and leave it at that...BUT... if you're curious, if you're cynical, or if you plain just haven't had enough of my torture yet... than by all means, continue and find out what REALLY happened after that lovely little kiss. Trust me... it's worth it.

"I love y..." Will started but was interrupted as the doors crashed open and a familiar voice and face came into view.

"What is going on here?! This is the third time this theatre has been disturbed and the second time it has happened during MY movie!!! Who are you people! I demand an answer," Orlando Bloom shouted to everyone present. Keira Knightly and what looked like a hoard of lawyers flanked him.

The just recovered Venture Squad almost swooned again at the sight of him. Hen however was sent into sheer panic.

"Elizabeth get Will out of here!!" He yelled.

But both her and Will were stunned... Orlando Bloom? Here? What kind of sci-fi horror filled irony twist was this?!

And then Orlando saw Will... or rather to him he saw himself, and Will saw himself, or rather Orlando Bloom... both were very confused.

"What?" they said simultaneously.

And all held their breaths... Hen waited for the world to end, and Elizabeth prayed that nothing of note would happen. Both were wrong and before either man was finished both had started to feel the consequences of their being there.

"ARGHHH" Both Will and Orlando yelled as an utterly excruciating pain began to rack through their bodies.

As if now they couldn't separate themselves, both men began shaking and fell to the floor, convulsing with the pain. Elizabeth watched in horror, her heart racing and her mind jumping. How could this be happening? How could she finally be resolved to keep Will and then be forced to lose him now! She froze unable to do anything but watch in horror.

He fell and his screams continued, all around the theatre there was panic, Bradford was yelling questions at Hen who seemed paralysed and then rushing to break Will's fall, the Venture Squad was fully assembled and attempting to clear the lawyers and Keira away from Orlando who was in similar convulsions. Both were yelling in the agony and the pain seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"Elizabeth," Will whispered in between fits of agony.

That broke Elizabeth's trance as she too filled with agony, although hers ran far deeper than physical pain. She knelt down beside Will the tears freely flowing before her knees hit the floor.

"I'm sorry Will." she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Will tried to smile, to tell her it was not her fault, that she could never do anything to hurt him now that she had agreed to be his, but he was hit by another torrent of agony halfway through.

Elizabeth was becoming increasingly hysteric as each wave hit him. To see his strong eyes roll back in the pain, to hear his steady voice cry out in agony, shattered her strength.

"Hen!" She screamed. "Make it stop! Make it stop! Save him! Save him Hen!" She screamed grabbing his shirt and sobbing into it.

Hen snapped back into reality, "Bradford get Elizabeth out of the way! I'm sending him back, if one leaves I may be able to save both!"

That brought another burst from Elizabeth who was terrified at the sight of Will in pain, but did not want to imagine the possibility of losing him. She held him tighter and the onlookers could scarcely tell if it was her or Will who was more distraught.

Bradford came over and started to pull Elizabeth off, initiating more protests. 'He needs me! Let go! I need to be with him!' rang through the theatre which seemed empty as the two parted.

As Bradford finally parted them Will took his hand, as almost a parting of ways, a surrender.

"Take care of her for me," he said through clinched teeth.

Elizabeth's wails were growing louder and Hen barked at her for quiet. Bradford managed to clear the path between Will and the machine as Hen prepared to fire it. To Elizabeth the world slowed to almost a halt, and for a moment it seemed as though Will's pain had stopped, as he looked at her with his calm, bottomless eyes. He smiled then, and it was the last image she had of him, his soft smile and those dear eyes. It hushed her crying and carried with them tremendous peace. And then he was gone.

The next moments were a blur to Elizabeth. She vaguely heard the Venture Squad demand that the machine be destroyed and the lawyers and Keira rush to Orlando's side as he recovered from his agony, or at least what he thought had been agony, for the pain had vanished as suddenly as Will had. Elizabeth's gaze met his for a brief second, as Bradford led her out. Those same fathomless eyes, the same soft lips were filled with questions she didn't have the power to answer. And then she was gone, out of the theatre, to leave behind the baffled agents and Hen and the leaders of the Venture Squad to explain what had happened.

Bradford helped her to his car, she barely even noticed him. Consumed by the last image of Will in her mind. She closed her eyes, and imagined his in front of her, his playful smile, his soft touch and warm embrace. She wished so hard for him to be there, thought surely that if she believed hard enough he would hear her request and come back to her.

But when she opened her eyes he wasn't there, and her sobs started again. "He's gone," she wept over and over. "He's gone."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I told you I was evil... and I'm going to prove it further now... I couldn't decide how to end it! I have three possible epilogues for you to read (or if you're heartless you could just stop now and have her end up alone and sobbing in the back of Bradford's car) and I don't know which one to post!! So here's the thing... every two days of next week I'll post another ending! And you can review and tell me if you want that one or want to see another one and then so on and so on and at the end I'll add the ending everyone wanted (which will also decide how I handle the sequel Our Fine Hero II: Caribbean Chaos (it's a working title))

So yeah and don't worry I've written all three endings so you won't be waiting weeks (unless of course my computer crashes and I lose everything) knocks on wood it will be posted on Mon, Wed and Fri of next week.


	26. Ending 1: Friends First

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok folks, here it is ending #1. So if you like this one, great, tell me! And if you don't... great! Tell me! Stay tuned, Wed I post the second ending.

It was three days later, and Elizabeth was a wreck. Sure some women would have been strong, they probably would be standing on some cliff somewhere, watching the sunset and singing beautiful poetry in honour of the wondrous relationship.

She'd probably be singing something like this:

The Last Song 

**X Japan**

Watching the stars until they're gone

Like an actor all alone

Who never knew the story he was in

Who never knew how the story ends

Like the sky reflecting my heart

All colors become visible

When the morning comes

I'll read the last line

Since I embraced the endless rain, the night can head for morning

As it was, my heart was still soaked

In endless rain I've been walking

Like a poet feeling pain

Trying to find the answers

Trying to hide the tears

But it was just a circle

That never ends

When the rain stops, I'll turn the page

The page of the first chapter

It only hurts, so hurt me; why am I still asking

For an answer that I should have known?

Am I wrong to be hurt

Am I wrong to feel pain

Am I wrong to be in the rain

Am I wrong to wish the night won't end

Am I wrong to cry

But I know, it's not wrong to sing the last song

Because forever fades

If I notice it again, I'll discover the night sky by myself

Little by little, our memories fade away

It only hurts, so hurt me; why am I still asking

For an answer that I should have known?

I see red

I see blue

But the silver lining gradually takes over

When the morning begins

I'll be in the next chapter

Since I embraced the endless rain, the night can head for morning

As it was, my heart was still soaked

It only hurts, so hurt me; why am I still asking

For an answer that I should have known?

But that was never Elizabeth's style... no she wasn't singing that song she was listening to it, along with about ten others on a CD of the most mournful and longing love songs anyone had ever heard of. She'd done nothing for the past three days except wallow in her apartment in a state of melancholy never before seen by man. She had ventured out only once, in order to buy out the local store's supply of Blue TV dinners and Orange-Passionfruit Tropicanaï¢, which was what she'd been eating and drinking for the past few days.

Everything was different to her now; everything was somehow duller and flatter now that Will had gone away. Nothing looked, smelt, tasted, sounded or felt the same. It was like a part of her was numb. Visitor's were scarce, the Venture Squad had come by shortly after they were done in the theatre to tell Elizabeth that both the General and Miss Mackin had been apprehended and that sadly the machine was scheduled to be destroyed sometime that evening. That had sent Elizabeth over the edge somewhat and she had refused to see anyone since, not even Keira Knightly who wanted an explanation of what was going on from the source, she hadn't even made it into the building.

"If You're Not The One" by Daniel Beddingfield came on and Elizabeth sunk back onto her bed with a tall glass of Tropicana, completely intent on crying her eyes out, when there was a knock at the door.

She ignored it and continued sipping her juice.

The knocking persisted, for five minutes it didn't stop until she finally resorted to yelling, "I don't want any!" she screeched as she snuggled back into her comforter.

Then the door opened, startling Elizabeth and sending her Tropicana glass (thankfully now empty) flying through the air and landing with a crash on the floor. Bradford stood their snickering slightly.

"My don't you look lovely," he said as he looked over her ruffled hair, pyjama's and bathrobe, trying to decide which one was the worst for wear.

"Go away Bradford," she said turning her back to him.

"Sorry Lizard, I'm here on orders from the Venture Squad who want you up and running before the day is out. A task they have so graciously given me, in part because I mocked Becky's Johnny Depp picture collection, but in part because they no I won't take any of this guff from you... so up you come." He said as he grabbed her arm and prepared to lift her out of bed.

"No," Elizabeth protested as she flung herself on the bed once more.

"Look Lizard I know your precious Pirate is gone but if you don't get you butt out of that bed, my butt is going to be fired and I don't want to lose my job over some little girl pining over the loss of her sissy little pirate!" Bradford yelled.

Elizabeth was up in an instant, out of sheer defiance, how DARE he! How dare he insult Will and the love they had! How dare he walk into her apartment and give HER orders.

"Look buddy!" she growled at him. "You're not half the strength that Will is, you lily livered hack! Don't you dare take me away from my grief! And I don't care if you wind up homeless, friendless and penniless, you WILL NOT move me from this bed!" she shouted at him. "And my name is ELIZABETH!" she added as an afterthought.

Bradford only smiled. "Gosh that was a good one Elizabeth, honest you really cut deep there, I am honestly pained and such. But I've already gotten you to get out of the bed," he said smirking as he pointed out the fact that Elizabeth was now up in Bradford's face about five feet away from the bed.

Elizabeth sputtered for some sort of come back.

"Look," Bradford said sincerely. "I know you're hurting. It must suck something hardcore to lose someone you love like that. But sitting around here, gorging yourself on processed sugar and chemicals," he said fingering the empty blue boxes and Tropicana containers strewn throughout the apartment. "Isn't going to help anyone."

Elizabeth started to cry again (all the food colouring was running havoc on her hormones) "I know," she sobbed. "but I miss him so much." She let out a loud sniff and Bradford decided he'd better look for a Kleenex. Elizabeth sat down on the bed and continued to sniffle.

"I mean just when I start to think 'ok I'm going to get up and get over this' something reminds me of him, I look out at the neighbour fixing the line, or I see a Hanes add on the TV," she blubbered.

"Hanes add?" Bradford said incredulously as he brought over the tissues and some alka-seltzer.

"It's a long story," she chuckled as she took the tissues and chugged down the fizzy water. "Thanks."

Bradford looked uncomfortable for a moment and then pulled a crumbled piece of paper out of his pocket.

"What's that?" Elizabeth said casually.

"It's a letter to me, from Will, he gave it to me as I pulled you away at the theatre, it seems he had an idea that something might happen," he said shyly.

Elizabeth dropped her glass, but this time Bradford caught it.

"Gosh we have to get you plastic glasses and spill resistant carpet from now on!" he joked.

But Elizabeth didn't care about that. "What does it say?" she said completely focused on one thing.

"I figured you read it, and let you decide from there," he said as he handed her the letter.

Elizabeth took the letter, her eyes blurring as she read it, but she furiously wiped the tears away.

Bradford,

I know now, somewhere deep within my heart that I will not be allowed to stay in this world. Something is pulling me back, something that, even if Elizabeth decides to have me, will prevent us from being together. And while it tears at my heart, while I beg it not to be so I know that I will never see her again. I have loved Elizabeth Swann my whole life, I never thought I could love another, but when I came to this world I was shown something new, something incredible in your Lizzie Cartwright, a fear but at the same time such strength that I could barely comprehend. I thought that it was merely a case of 'rebound' as Elizabeth had called it, that I was only trying to replace the love I had lost in my own Elizabeth, but in time I discovered that it was more, so much more, and that I wanted it so badly.

But it is not mine to have and I am taken back, so please now Bradford, please I beg of you, take care of her. Love her as I could not, as I cannot. Be there for her in my loss, in my stead, I have seen the way you look at her, and when she looks at you I see similar feelings beginning to grow. She will have you eventually and I give you my blessing and pleading that you will take her and protect her as I wish too.

Forever bound to you for the woman we love,

William Turner.

Elizabeth looked up no longer bothering to hide her tears, and was surprised to see that Bradford's too were a little moist.

"So, umm... yeah it's your call, I'll just go now, ya know let you ponder or whatever," he said awkwardly as he rose to leave.

"Bradford," Elizabeth said softly. He turned, unsure of what he should do.

And Elizabeth caught him in a crushing hug. "Thank you," she said through the tears. "I still love him, Oh my I still love him, but one day, maybe sooner than I thought, well," she looked up and brushed just the tiniest, most modest little kiss on his lips. "Thank you."

Bradford was a little stunned and absolutely ecstatic. "Umm sure thing, you just take your time," he said as he stumbled over a chair and laughed cautiously. "I'll be here when you want to, I mean when you're ready and yeah..." He said with a big grin.

"I'll give you a call," Elizabeth said a small smile of her own beginning to form.

"Yeah ok," Bradford said through his massive grin, which was growing exponentially by the minute. "I'm going to umm... go, yeah cause I have lots of... stuff to do." It seemed as though he could hardly believe what was happening.

"See you around Bradford," Elizabeth said as she herded him out the door.

"Yeah see you around!" He said with a final cheek splitting smile.

As soon as the door shut Elizabeth heard what could only be classified as a victory cry as Bradford ran down the halls, and she chuckled a little more.

Yes she still loved Will, she would always reserve a special part of her heart for him, and always cherish the lessons he had taught her and the gifts they had given each other, but he was gone, back to his life, back to his blue seas, and his One True Love... and maybe, in his parting, he had given her the greatest gift of all... a One True Love of her very own.

sniff isn't it beautiful!!!!! Oh that turned out much better than I thought! Maybe I'll just keep that one and be done with it.... pauses NAH!!! Stay tuned for ending #2!!!!


	27. Ending 2: Possibilities Blossom

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok so the alternates will start from the point when Bradford gives her the letter, because before that well... nothing is different. OK here's the second ending! ENJOY!!

"I mean just when I start to think 'ok I'm going to get up and get over this' something reminds me of him, I look out at the neighbour fixing the line, or I see a Hanes add on the TV," she blubbered.

"Hanes add?" Bradford said incredulously as he brought over the tissues and some alka-seltzer.

"It's a long story," she chuckled as she took the tissues and chugged down the fizzy water. "Thanks."

Bradford looked at her quizzically and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, looking pleased with himself.

"What's that?" Elizabeth said casually.

"It's a letter to me, from Will, actually one of the letters, there were two copies, one for me and one for someone else. He gave them to me as I pulled you away at the theatre, it seems he had an idea that something might happen," he said proudly.

Elizabeth dropped her glass, but this time Bradford caught it.

"Gosh we have to get you plastic glasses and spill resistant carpet from now on!" he joked.

But Elizabeth didn't care about that. "What does it say?" she said completely focused on one thing.

"I figured you read it, and let you take it from there," he said as he handed her the letter.

Elizabeth took the letter, her eyes blurring as she read it, but she furiously wiped the tears away.

Bradford,

I know now, somewhere deep within my heart that I will not be allowed to stay in this world. Something is pulling me back, something that, even if Elizabeth decides to have me, will prevent us from being together. And while it tears at my heart, while I beg it not to be so I know that I will never see her again. I have loved Elizabeth Swann my whole life, I never thought I could love another, but when I came to this world I was shown something new, something incredible in your Lizzie Cartwright, a fear but at the same time such strength that I could barely comprehend. I thought that it was merely a case of 'rebound' as Elizabeth had called it, that I was only trying to replace the love I had lost in my own Elizabeth, but in time I discovered that it was more, so much more, and that I wanted it so badly.

But the realization that I am not the only one comes even harder now, the idea there is someone out there just like me, who, on some level, holds the same thoughts and feelings that I do. It's not easy for me to grasp but Elizabeth and Hen insist on it so it must be so. I wonder if, had he the chance to know Elizabeth as I do he would love her like me. If he would want her as I do.

But Elizabeth is not mine to have and I am taken back, so please now Bradford, please I beg of you, find this man for me. Find the one who may love her as I could not, as I cannot. Find the one whom you told me she loves so that I may know that, even though I may not feel it myself, somewhere my arms are the ones holding her.

With much respect and gratitude,

William Turner.

Elizabeth looked up no longer bothering to hide her tears, and was shocked to see an eerily familiar face at the doorway.

"So, umm... yeah Elizabeth meet Orlando Bloom," Bradford said as he snickered and moved to the door. "I'll just go now, ya know let you two ponder or introduce yourselves or whatever," he said as he walked out the door.

"Bradford," Elizabeth called softly. He turned, unsure of what he should do.

And Elizabeth caught him in a crushing hug. "Thank you," she said through the tears. "Are you going to be ok? I mean with this and all?" Elizabeth had sensed before the feelings that he had for her, the feelings she knew now she could never return.

Bradford was a little stunned and disbelieving. "Me? I'm going to be just fine, in fact better than fine, because I'm actually meeting Keira at Maria's for drinks later tonight," he said that proud smile returning to his lips.

"Good luck with that," Elizabeth said a small smile of her own beginning to form.

"Yeah ok," Bradford said through his grin, which was slowly growing. "I'm going to umm... go, yeah cause I have lots of... stuff to do." It seemed as though he could hardly wait for tonight.

"See you around Bradford," Elizabeth chuckled as he walked through the door.

"Yeah see you around," He said with a casual cheek splitting smile.

As Bradford rounded the corner Elizabeth suddenly became very nervous, because Orlando Bloom, with the image of Will Turner still playing in her mind, was standing right in front of her. It was disarming, completely, he looked exactly like Will, only he wasn't dressed like a Pirate. But he was still incredibly stunning, his eyes were just as deep, his lips looked just as soft, and he, unlike Will, could possibly stay with her forever.

"Hi," was all he said with his perfectly smooth and controlled voice.

"Hi!" Elizabeth said in a slightly less controlled rather squeaky and high-pitched voice. Both parties chuckled a little.

"So this is weird," Orlando said shaking his head in a heart-stoppingly attractive way.

Elizabeth was instantly mortified, I mean how did this look? Some love sick computer geek helplessly in love with one of his characters? She should be wearing a large paper bag on her head.

"I mean weird in a kind of romantic, incredibly flattering way, know what I mean?" He smiled and Elizabeth thought she was going to simultaneously faint and jump a ten story building in a single bound.

"So that... I guess, that was the actual Will Turner, just like, plucked up from the movie and sat in our reality. No joke?" he said shyly.

"No joke, that was the actual Will Turner, literally plucked from the movie and thrown into our reality," Elizabeth answered and suddenly remembered both her manners and the fact that she looked horrible. "I don't suppose you'd like to come in and I could answer your questions for you? That is if you'd be willing to let me clean up a little first," she chuckled to try and hide the fact that she was extremely embarrassed at her filthy appearance and her filthy apartment.

"Actually I'd like that very much," Orlando said with another one of his heart stopping smiles.

They talked all afternoon and agreed to talk a lot more. Orlando had told how shocked he'd been in the theatre and how her sad gaze had moved him. He told how at first he didn't want to believe the letter, but when he had read it, it seemed as though the words were coming from his own mouth, they seemed natural to him.

Elizabeth would always hold a special place in her heart for Will Turner, and most especially the gift he had given her, a One True Love of her very own. A man that could be there for her and still remind her of the adventures and lessons she had from that one torn Pirate/Blacksmith.

Oh!! I love this one so much!! Maybe even more than the first one!! (see my dilemma) Ok so yeah ****sigh**** that was lovely. And now!! Stay Tuned For: THE FINAL ENDING!!!!!


	28. Ending 3: One True Love

Author's Note!: THANK YOU RACHEL FOR REMINDING ME!!! Sorry my loyal and now somewhat grumpy fans... I started college this week and it was a little hectic and so getting this JUST right was hard... BUT THE WAIT IS WORTH IT!!! OH MY IS IT EVER!!!... so vote for your favourite ending and stay tuned for more works from Pirate Angel! THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALL THANKS!

"Hanes add?" Bradford said incredulously as he brought over the tissues and some alka-seltzer.

"It's a long story," she chuckled as she took the tissues and chugged down the fizzy water. "Thanks."

Bradford looked at her and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, looking pleased with himself.

"What's that?" Elizabeth said casually.

"It's a letter to me, from Will. He gave it to me as I pulled you away at the theatre, it seems he had an idea that something might happen," he said proudly.

Elizabeth dropped her glass, but this time Bradford caught it.

"Gosh we have to get you plastic glasses and spill resistant carpet from now on!" he joked.

But Elizabeth didn't care about that. "What does it say?" she said completely focused on one thing.

"I figured I'd let you read it, and then let you take it from there," he said as he handed her the letter.

Elizabeth took the letter, her eyes blurring as she read it, but she furiously wiped the tears away.

_Bradford,_

_It is a great fear, somewhere deep within my heart that I will not be allowed to stay in this world. Something is pulling me back, something that, even if Elizabeth decides to have me, still attempts to prevent us from being together. And while it tears at my heart, while I beg it not to be so, it is my greatest fear that I will never see her again. I have loved Elizabeth Swann my whole life, I never thought I could love another, but when I came to this world I was shown something new, something incredible in your Lizzie Cartwright, a fear, but at the same time such strength that I could barely comprehend. I thought that it was merely a case of 'rebound' as Elizabeth had called it, that I was only trying to replace the love I had lost in my own Elizabeth, but in time I discovered that it was more, so much more, and that I wanted it so badly._

_But the realization that I am not meant for her comes even harder for me. The idea that I love her so much, need her so badly, and yet am denied her is something I refuse to believe. It's not easy for me to grasp but Elizabeth and Hen insist on it so it must be so. I wonder if, had they the chance to know of the feelings in my heart, they would be so quick to judge our case futile._

_But I fear that Elizabeth will not be mine to have and that I shall be taken back, and so now I plead with you Bradford, I beg of you, find a way to bring me back. I know now that I may never call my life complete unless she is the one I share it with. I ask you to put aside our differences in the name of love. Find a way to bring me back to her._

_With much respect and gratitude,_

_William Turner._

Elizabeth couldn't believe it, he wanted to be with her so badly, it was too bad there was no way to bring him back.

"It's beautiful, but impossible," she said, a low melancholy creeping into her voice.

"What?" Bradford said incredulously. "Elizabeth Cartwright! Giving up on love! Inconceivable!"

"I heard the Venture Squad talking as we left the theatre, they said they were going to destroy the machine, they even came by to confirm it a couple of days ago." Elizabeth moaned.

"What if I told you that maybe, the machine hadn't been destroyed as planned," Bradford said a small smile creeping onto his face.

"I'd say that's nice but even if you saved the machine we wouldn't be able to bring Will back," she replied sullenly.

"Now I'm no computer geek, but I can't see a reason why not," Bradford said sincerely, but playfully.

"He wouldn't be Will Bradford, he'd be the Will from the movie, no memory of what happened, no memory of me," Elizabeth sniffed. "I'd be better to leave him as he was, leave him in his own world,"

"Don't you think that's a decision he should make?" Bradford pressed.

Now Elizabeth was curious... what was Bradford getting at? He couldn't have... surely he hadn't... Will couldn't be back... could he? "What exactly are you saying Bradford?" Elizabeth asked breathlessly.

The look in Bradford's eyes was gleeful as he played his little game. "I really thought you would figure it out yourself Lizzie, honestly."

The food colouring induced hormones took effect of her again... she lost patience and started smacking Bradford with a nearby pillow.

"DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH ME!! You have no IDEA what I've been through," she said seriously.

"Could I take the time to find out?" a voice said from the doorway.

Elizabeth stopped mid swing, her hands, her whole being freezing at the sound of that voice, She dropped the pillow and screwed her eyes shut, intent on waking herself from the dream that she once again had trapped herself in.

"No," she whispered to herself. "I won't do this again... I won't dream that you're here, I won't break my heart again for your memory." It was a mantra, one that she had chanted to herself for the past few days like some sort of pagan incantation. She would not allow herself to feel his presence again; she wouldn't let her dreams run away with her for the thousandth time in the past three days.

She thought she had frozen before, but that was nothing to what had happened when she felt a third presence set down on the bed.

"A penny for your thoughts?" That smooth, rich, lovely sound called out to her.

Her eyes fluttered open and he was _millimetres_ away again... his eyes staring into hers.

"What?" she called in a breathless whisper.

"A penny for your thoughts," the eyes said smiling. "It's what you say when someone is caught in a dream."

"I've defiantly been caught in a dream," Elizabeth said, torn between laughing and crying. "But I don't want to wake up."

"Well let us just see what happens when you do," Will said leaning in slightly.

And though her brain was screaming at her to stop she leaned in, and relished in his kiss. And then realized that she didn't wake up! It wasn't a dream!

The realization hit her in a wave, her eyes sprung open and she looked at Will with a state of absolute glee.

"You're HERE!" She screamed at him.

"That is what I've been telling you!" He mock screamed back at her.

"But, how, when , who, why," The questions came out in a stream of rambling that could only be closed by Will's lips pressing against her once more. Elizabeth was still shocked, but quickly gave in as Will deepened the kiss... this was magical, mystical, dream-like. It wasn't happening how could it be happening!

The kiss was finally broken when Bradford re-announced his presence, and Will pulled away leaving Elizabeth a little breathless.

"Well I'll just leave you two to catch up for a little while, and get you know _reacquainted_," Bradford snickered.

"Bradford!" Elizabeth said feigning shock, and then as he turned to leave. "Wait, Bradford!"

Bradford turned, stunned slightly, she had her pirate what else could she want? He was surprised when she ran up and gave him a massive bear hug, and looked up to him with a face more jubilant than he had ever seen. "Thank you," she said through her smile.

Bradford flushed slightly, "Well you know it was nothing, True Love and all that, I was honoured to be a part of it," he stammered.

"I know but, I mean..." Elizabeth couldn't think of the right words to say. "Are you going to be ok?" She asked sincerely.

Now Bradford flushed even deeper "Umm... yeah I mean," he stammered. "There's someone I want you to meet," he blurted finally, as he rushed through the door.

Elizabeth was a little baffled but laughed as Will came and put his arms around her, giving her a sense of peace and belonging. "You're going to like this," whispered into her ear.

"I don't think anything, anywhere has ever been so good," she said spinning to face him, looking into his bottomless eyes.

"And it's only going to get better," he said leaning in for another kiss.

She relished in it.

Bradford came back and cleared his throat once more. "Golly can't you two keep your hands off each other for two minutes?" he called from the door, his hand holding something still hidden in the hallway.

Elizabeth broke off, face growing redder by the minute; nope she really didn't want to let Will out of lip reach, let alone out of arm length.

"Stop teasing Bradford, after all you could hardly keep your hands off me riding up the elevator," a familiarly sophisticated voice called.

"Who's this?" Elizabeth asked.

"Elizabeth," Bradford said sweetly. "I'd like you to meet Lara."

And when Angelina Jolie (who was actually the brought to life from screen version of Lara Croft) stepped into view Elizabeth fought very hard to try and contain her laughter.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Bradford has been telling me so much," Lara said politely, extending her hand.

"Likewise," Elizabeth said stifling a giggle.

"So you see we both got what we wanted!" Bradford said gleefully.

"Are you prepared to put up with this guy?" I asked Lara jokingly.

"Oh yes," she replied slyly. "He's just my type, easily controlled."

Bradford moved to be offended by the remark but then weighed the ups and downs of being controlled by Lara Croft and smiled instead.

"Well we must be off than Elizabeth, things to do," Bradford smiled.

"People to shoot," Lara finished.

Elizabeth laughed out loud, unable to contain her joy any longer. "Yeah I'll see you later."

The two left, Lara chasing Bradford down the hall.

Elizabeth finally let out the mirth within and collapsed on the floor because of her giggling.

"Now Miss Cartwright!" Will said feigning hurt. "Why is it you are always so quick to laugh at my behaviour!"

That just made her laugh even more, until finally Will pulled her off the floor and into his arms. She quitted instantly scared and excited for what would happen next.

"I told you that I would never forget you," he said softly.

"And you never will," Elizabeth finished.

And then Will and Elizabeth kissed, long and hard and full of a pure and deep love, Our Fine Hero finally in the arms of her One True Love.


End file.
